An Afternoon Excursion

On a welcoming blue sky day, I argue there is no prettier city than Chicago.  It was incredible today, walking down Michigan Ave today after meetings, headed to the Art Institute.  Vats overflowing with fresh flowers, autumn ready gardens, throngs of tourists and locals, segway tours, cameras pointed up-down-around.

The destination was the photography exhibit of Henri Cartier-Bresson.  Incredible, iconic, historian, traveller, this Frenchman showed the world everyday life in countries around the world: Ghandi’s funeral, behind the Iron Curtain, New York, Paris, Italy, Indonesia, Shaghai, any traveller’s dream and his sometimes nightmare.  His hand-held camera captured the sexy body parts, the horrors and reality of war, the poignant portraits,  the beautiful-the plain-the bosses-the servants-the workers-the drinkers-the watchers-the forgotten.

It was an incredible show.  If it comes your way, plan to spend at least an hour learning, laughing, loathing. his appreciation for the frame, the math, the juxtaposition of lives, the darkness, the light, you will remember it.

My sister and I also took our first walk into the newer modern wing of the Art Institute.  Jaw-dropping architecture showing off our wonderful skyline, a plethora of natural light so reminiscent of the Musee O’rsay in Paris (a former train station), the incredible colors popped from the canvases.  Other than guards, we were the only visitors in several galleries–so quiet, so vibrant, so inspiring.  Wow, we kept saying.

light and space in the modern wing

I don’t understand all the modern art–some seem so simple, so juvenile–but I reveled in much of it.  I recognized many of the works from their old locations in the Museum, but seeing them all together was breathtaking.  Picasso, Matisse, Klee (one of my favorites), Magritte, Pollock, so many others.  One room had fascinating architectural drawings, even a sampling of modern-designed fabrics–perfect for my home.

mini Picasso sculpture with the real Skyline in the modern wing

Too many times an art exhibit comes to this breathtaking city, a musical I want to see, a new restaurant and my schedule is too busy to fit it in, or it escapes my mind until too late.  Today reminded me to take a break, to explore what is offered.  It is worth the afternoon.  The inspiration is worth it.  And the escape.  C

Album Art- Which were your favorites?

Do you know the one of the first album covers that was truly designed by the band, and not their manager?  It was the Beatles very influential Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  This was one of the trivia nuggets I gleaned from a fun exhibit of LP Art–60 years in Album Art at our local museum, The Lake County Discovery Museum.

 

The exhibit showcased the evolution of album art, and its impact on musicians and popular culture. My husband and I were brought back, looking at some of the most popular album covers of our growing up. How many did we own?

There were many genres of music represented–rock, punk, pop, funk, jazz, fusion, with rock being the largest grouping.  There were also some interactive factoids you could read, a headset with music samples, and a fun A-Z game where you could try to choose which letter went with which music group (I did very poorly on this).

Coincidentally, I am reading the autobiography Clapton, by Eric Clapton.  I have always appreciated his guitar genius, and I wanted to learn more about his life.  While touring this exhibit, I was reading about the hippie, drug-using years of the late 1960′s, where he met, befriended and was inspired by artists such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and  Jimi Hendrix  Clapton mentioned many of the albums that lined the museum walls, which included his former group Cream. 

An extra bonus at the Museum was an art exhibit by Jim Flora, an amazing graphic deisgner from the 1940′s and 50′s who designed classical and jazz album covers, wrote and illustrated children’s books, designed advertising pieces, and funky, creative pieces of art.  Any of them would fit in beautifully in my home!

Entertaining, reminiscent, and educating (and not too overwhelming). What more can you ask from a museum experience? C