Home is Where the Art is

On today's jaunt for my first trip back to Chicago in five years, I went to the Art Institute.  What was great about this trip is I took advantage of Members Get in One Hour Early, which I didn't know existed on previously visits.  And that meant, since the place was empty, I could walk up close to Georges Seurat’s famous painting "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" (the basis for Stephen Sondheim's musical, Sunday in the Park with George).  As a result, I could check out his pointillism extremely up close.  This hasn't been possible before, since to room is always jammed, specifically to see that painting, and doing so would blocking everyone else’s view.  Today, no one else was in the room.  And Seurat's work was AMAZING.  What he did was almost unearthly.
 
Here's the best I can do to show what I mean –
 
This is the painting in full:

And here’s a section up very close.  (It's the man wearing a top hat in the lower left.)  The minute detail and tiny shifts in color from one "dot" to the next is remarkable.  The entire painting is made up of this dots.  And as you can see, it's a huge painting.  Further, to do that up close while having to imagine what it all will look like from afar.  What a stunning achievement!!!  It took him two years to complete, and still continued with some touch-ups. 

Know, too, that this small-section photo doesn't do it justice, peering at the expansive painting from inches away.​

Here's another fun painting to have come across.  Most people know the painting "Whistler's Mother" by James Whistler.  But have you ever seen Whistler's brother?  Here he is --

And it's a treat every time to see "American Gothic."  It's so iconic, almost a cliche as a piece of folklore.  But then, there the real thing is in front of you.

Finally -- and I'm going to make it "finally," because I could go on and on.  Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," great works by Picasso, Monet (including my favorite, "Sandvicka, Norway"), Renoir, Chagall -- especially his great "American Windows" montage that he did on commission for the City of Chicago, Dali, Magritte, Georgia O'Keefe, John Singer Sargent, it's tremendous.  But making it even better is how thoughtfully and superbly it's all laid out and presented.  I spent five hours wandering around.

​But finally, I'll offer this painting that I've grown to love, not just because it's so wonderful, but even more because it's nothing like what you expect from this artist.  If I asked people who they thought painted this, I suspect most would say someone like, perhaps, Winslow Homer.  Though it's not.  Here's the painting --

As I said, no, it's not Winslow Homer.  But as you can see, it appears to be a very nice, rich New England ocean scene, filled with warmth.  So...give it some thought.  Who do you think painted this.

I'll just note that, no, it's also not a New England ocean scene.

​This was painted by Vincent van Gogh.

Yes, really.

Even the elves taking care of the homestead can't believe it.  They think I'm lying.  But I'm not.  More to come...