When in Chicago this past Setember, I was able to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. This top museum first inspired my love of painting, sculpture, and fine art. I visited as a child, then remembered visiting while on a high school trip (and sneaking off to a Dunkin Donuts when we were told not to leave the museum, a very, very minor act of rebellion) to visiting almost every time I was in Chicago. I have been move times than I can count, and every time I see the timeless collection, I notice something different or take notice of a painting I hadn’t before. That happened a lot this time, because we had seen so much art during our time in Spain and Europe and became so much more familiar with artists from there.
The impressionist collection is one of the best in the World, the best I’ve seen anywhere, and left a distinct impression (haha) on my appreciation of paintings. Starting with Claude Monet, they have the greatest collection of his works that I have seen:
The famous Vincent Van Gogh self-portrait (and at the top of the blog is me in front of another Van Gogh):
Here are a few more favorites: Camille Pissaro’s Woman Bathing Her Feet in a Brook” on the left, and Renoir’s “Two Sisters (on the Terrace)”
Some of the most famous Pablo Picasso paintings are there as well:
A few more portraits that caught my eye on this visit (from left-to-right: Jules-Adolphe Breton “The Song of the Lark,” Jean-Léon Gérôme “Portrait of a Woman,” Georges Lemmen “Portrait of the Artist’s Sister”)
Some favorite statues and busts:
From the Modern Art Collection (Andy Warhol’s “Four Mona Lisas” and Katharina Fritsch “Woman with Dog”)
David Hockney “American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman)” and Roy Lichtenstein “Foot Medication”(Right)
The best part about this trip to the Art Institute was that I was joined by my Aunt Laurie. She loves the museum just as much as I do, and has been visiting since she was younger too. We had a great time exploring the museum together, though she has a habit of wanting to touch the paintings (uh-oh). Well, we weren’t asked to leave on this trip, but we were able to see the modern collection and then visit the contemporary wing. We took a few selfies, and even took a picture under one of the huge lions that flank the entrance (and have finally been cleaned after many, many years of buildup).
We had a great time exploring the museum and there is still so much I did not get to re-visit on this trip. When in Chicago, do not skip a visit to the Art Institute, it is wonderful!
Phil Barrington's WayPastCool 