Every Thursday, The Art Institute of Chicago offers free admission from 5-8pm. I have been meaning to check out the world reknown museum ever since we moved to the city. But it was always one of those things you put off. Well, yesterday was such a beautiful day that I decided today was the day. So I boarded the Blue Line and made my way downtown.
The Institute certainly lives up to it’s reputation for being one of the best art museums in the World. Since I was by myself (Apryl was at school), I moved around from gallery to gallery at my own pace. Of course, I had to take advantage of being able to see some of the greatest masterpieces of all time.
How crazy is the photo above? Amazing, that one can view a classic like Grant Wood’s American Gothic this up close and personal.
A large Roy Lichtenstein piece welcomes you into the entry way for the Contemporary Art gallery.
Above, a couple take in Georges-Pierre Seurat’s classic example of pointillism, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Again, you are able to get so extremely close to these works. Imagine the tip of your nose a mere inches from the canvas. Heck, you could accidentally sneeze all over the piece. Actually, on some of these priceless works, there is a very thin plastic sheet in the frame protecting the art. And seeing smudge marks on the plastic shows you that some just can’t reisist the temptation to get even closer.
One of my favorite galleries was the Minature Rooms exhibit. It was all a bit like very detailed dollhouses that showcased various quarters from different moments in history as well as varied cultures. The photo above is from a century’s old kitchen. What I loved about this exhibit is how they illustrate the effect sunlight would have luminating the rooms.
The only dissapointment was that part of the Modern Art exhibit was closed due to consturction which I’m pretty sure held a Warhol. And I was looking forward to seeing Edward Hoppers’ Nighthawks in person, but it was on vacation at the Whitney.
Still, it was a great time spent downtown, and I look forward to future visits.
That night, I attended my first jazz show. I’ve really only started getting into the musical form, so I’m sure no expert. But I do know that whenever you get the opportunity to see a true innovator of any form of music, you should take it. And that evening, Peter Brötzmann was making an apperance at Elastic Arts, a non-profit organization which holds its location above a Chinese restaurant in Logan Square. Brötzmann is a “free jazz” legend whose 1968 album Machine Gun is a classic in the genre. His intense style of playing has been an influence not only to the jazz world but also to folks like Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.
Brötzmann started everything off with a thirty minute solo set. I was about twenty feet away from Brötzmann which was quite an extreme experience because you can hear every breath, every puff, every piff.
Next up, Chicago’s own Ken Vandermark with Ingebrigt Haker Flaten and Raymond Strid performed a few compositions. One of the main reasons I wanted to attend last night was to see this local legend Vandermark whose various works under his own name and the Vandermark 5 were the start of my appreciation of the jazz genre. Needless to say, he put on a highly energized set.
The evening set ended with a quartet of all four gentlemen. Getting to see a live jazz performance (especially in such proximity to the musicians) is far more awarding than sitting at home listening to a mp3 on iTunes. After visiting the Art Institute earlier in the evening, the night’s performance had me thinking: You know, watching jazz musicians perform live is like watching a painter in fast motion.
– Tonight, I am catching a Sun Ra Tribute at The Hideout with the Avreeayl Ra Quartet and Thurston Moore.
Arma Secreta
The Coach and Four
