One of my favourite movie directors is Hayao Myazaki, probably best known for directing the Studio Ghibli classic ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. Clouds are an important visual motif in his work, playing an key role in almost every movie.
Miyazaki, Spirited Away, Train Sequence - the light changing. Film Still
They set the mood in ‘Spirited Away’, especially in the central train scene around which the entire movie pivots.
They signal trouble, for example in Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Myazakik, Howl’s Moving Castle, Film Still
And they make up most of the canvas in ‘The Wind Rises’, a movie about flying and dying.
Miyazaki, The Wind Rises, Film Still
Today, look at your favourite popular artists. How do they treat clouds?
Do they tell stories of their own?
Do share you favourite clouds in popular art on Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #kramerseye.