The Art Institute in Chicago has always been one of my favorite museums, so obviously it was at the top of my list to see on my recent visit to the Windy City.
The treasures that await at the top of the stair...my heart was pounding!
Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebatte:
Two Sisters, by Pierre-August Renoir:
A new favorite for me, Portrait of a Woman by Jean-Leon Gerome:
The Song of the Lark by Jules-Adolphe Breton. The power of this painting cannot be captured in a photograph. The bright sun fairly leaps off the canvas.
Le Silence by August Prebuilt:
At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec:
This is my favorite Lautrec painting; the woman's green face is everything to me. LOVE it!
Vincent van Gogh's self-portrait, showing that gingers have artistic talent!
James McNeill Whistler by Walter Greaves:
Andy Warhol's take on Elizabeth Taylor:
At first glance, this untitled Robert Gober installation just looked like a dress surrounded by wallpaper.
A closer look at the wallpaper reveals startling imagery, especially with all that is going on in the States today.
Back to cotton candy territory with a David Hockney:
I'm a sucker for art deco, especially this Paul Manship piece called Dancer and Gazelles:
Ceres by John Bradley Storrs, 1928:
This is a smaller version of the art deco figure Storrs designed for the top of the Chicago Board of Trade Building:
For inspiration, Storrs used the Classical subject of Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, alluding to the Board’s activity as the world’s biggest grain exchange.
Back to the museum with American Gothic by Grant Wood:
This creepy yet cool painting by Ivan Albright was used in the 1945 MGM movie "Picture of Dorian Gray." It was the only instance of Technicolor used in an otherwise black and white film.
I will leave you with one of my favorite paintings at the Institute, Nighthawks by Edward Hopper:
Closing in to the main group at the diner, this painting says so much.
More Chicago Art Institute photos at my main website.
Did you see Cameron and Sloane and Ferris while you were there?
ReplyDeleteEven if you hadn't said "Dorian Grey", that was the first thing that popped into my head when I scrolled down to the pic. I swear I heard the movie music for the moment of reveal as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Van Gogh self-portrait came to the DeYoung in SF a couple of years ago. The brushwork and color is nothing short of electrifying. Your photo does it justice more so than most reproductions in my books.
ReplyDeleteI know the Art Institute allows photos, but the DeYoung did not, so I am grabbing a copy of your pic. Thank you.
Also, if you walk out the front door of the museum and cross Michigan Ave, W. Adams street is the beginning of Route 66, which is marked with a sign. Right in front of the Russian Tea Room, a splendid place for dinner.
I love Chicago. Thank you, Dave.
JG
Great pictures. I absolutely love Chicago!
ReplyDeleteJG: Great minds think alike: http://davelandweb.com/chicago/images/2016/DSC_8693.jpg
ReplyDeleteARG! We missed that when we were there. Not the Art Institute; the Route 66 sign!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought American Gothic would be bigger. We did visit the Bean, though. I'm with you guys. I love Chicago, too. Great photos, Dave!
dz
Dave, that sign is new and improved from the one I sent you in 2012. It must be a popular feature.
ReplyDeleteJG
One of the greatest art museums in the United States!
ReplyDelete