It is practically unheard of for Dear Husband and I to visit a place twice during a vacation (so many places! So little time!), but when it came to the Art Institute of Chicago, we did just that. Not only is the place gigantic, with its 273 galleries and 562,000 square feet of exhibition space, but it’s also not a place that you want to rush through on your way to somewhere else. We couldn’t take our eyes off some of the exhibits, and our phones and feet kept needing a recharge.
We saw so many famous paintings that it boggles the mind. When you have seen pictures of something your entire life and then come upon the original, it gives you butterflies. You stand in front of the work much as the painter did. You feel their presence and you are in awe of their talent. You notice things that mere pictures can’t convey. You’ll see some very recognizable works below.
We were treated to not only paintings, but also sculptures, furniture, stained glass, and even paperweights. We also saw quite a few things by artists that we’d never seen before. I love stumbling upon someone new to me. It makes me realize that there’s a lot to see in this world, and I would love to see it all! You can visit the institute vicariously by exploring their collection here.
Apologies in advance for not being able to take many of these photos straight on. Either the crowd was too dense, or the lighting glared back at me, or you could see my reflection in the glass. But at least it will whet your appetite to see more. I did my best to take pictures of each of the titles and artists for these works, so if you want to know more about one of them, please ask and I’ll do my best to let you know.
One last thing before I hit you with the pictures. The Art Institute of Chicago spells its name “Institvte” on both its logo and its building. As far as I’m concerned, that was fine for the Romans, but if you check out this article, the letter u made its tentative appearance in 1386, and was pretty much a given by 1629. Yes, I understand that the building has an Italian Renaissance façade, but since this institvte was fovnded in 1879, the v seems qvite pretentiovs, and probably confvsing to mvch of the general pvblic. Just sayin’.
The ultimate form of recycling: Buy my book, read it, and then donate it to your local public library or your neighborhood little free library! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
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