Weather as Muse to the Arts: A Survey of Society's Changing Perceptions over Time

The weather has always had an impact on human society and therefore has long been a muse for artists. Its depiction, however, has evolved over time as society’s perceptions shifted.

Following the timeline of changes in both the scientific and social understanding of nature, this presentation will look at the different ways weather has been represented in art through the ages. Portrayals range from being anthropomorphized into gods and goddesses in the ancient world to serving as metaphors in the background of paintings to eventually becoming the main subject of artworks. Looking back through history, art can often be seen as a kind of visual time capsule of the environment in which it was created.

Moving into the present, art’s function shifts from that of social memory to a platform for engagement. With the weather today often being a “hot” or even “controversial” topic, this presentation will end by looking at how contemporary artists are responding to extreme events and expanding the public conversation on climate change.