Exhibition: "Between skies and canvases. Painting clouds since the 16th century" at the Senlis Museum of Art and Archaeology

Barely named, sometimes with a bad reputation, clouds were a latecomer to Western art. Artists began to take an interest in them during the Renaissance. Clouds then invaded canvases, as cushions for the gods or as tools for perspective. Later, plein air painting and scientific advances encouraged artists to use clouds to depict the passage of time, the immensity of the landscape, the danger of storms and the terror of the sublime. So when Luke Howard published On the Modifications of Clouds in 1804, describing them as "nimbus", "stratus" and "cumulus", it was the final step towards clouds becoming a subject in their own right. Identified and classified, they were observed by all and captured on canvas.

AROUND THE EXHIBITION
-Guided tours of the exhibition: 13 February and 27 March, at 12 noon.
-Two visit-workshops for young visitors: "Head in the clouds" on Wednesday 18 February and "Nimbus, cumulus and stratus" on Wednesday 22 April, at 10.30 am (4-7 years) and 2.30 pm (8-12 years).
-Two special lectures during the Art Weeks: "In the Secrets of Clouds" on 23 and 24 April and "Expressing the Sublime" on 21 and 22 May, at 2.30pm at the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie.
-Three shows at "Senlis fait son théâtre" on 10, 11 and 12 April.

A Week of Clouds, from 24 to 28 March (timetable to be announced)
-Screening of Hayao Miyazaki's Château dans le ciel at the Senlis cinema, Tuesday 24 March
-Lecture, reading and book signing by Mathieu Simonet, inventor of International Cloud Day (28-29 March 2026), at the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie, on Wednesday 25 March.
On Saturday 28 March, there'll be a rich programme of events, including a participatory fresco on clouds, the prize-giving ceremony for the cloud photography competition organised by the town's library, guided tours of the exhibition, guided observation of clouds and cloud writing, and more.

A cloudy European Museum Night on Saturday 23 May
-A "Classe l'œuvre" with Mme Renard's CE2 class: proposal of a new mediation written by the pupils, short guided tours, etc.
-Concert by the junior orchestra and brass section of the Senlis Municipal Conservatoire
-Dances and vocal workshop, by students from the Senlis Municipal Conservatory
-A "Classwork" with Ms Zbynovsky's HLP pupils: putting together extra-Western tales about clouds
-The evening will be hosted by drama students from the Lycée Saint-Vincent: presentation of a play, guide through the collections, etc.