Day 2 of Chicago

[essentialsaltes]

Saw Art. There was a special Rembrandt exhibit, but it was an extra $15 and he's not all that he's cracked up to be, anyway.

Lots of Renoir, at least a dozen haystacks by Monet, half dozen ballerinas by Degas. Nighthawks, American Gothic, and a lot of modern crap. Not enough surrealism, a few Dalis and a few Magrittes, including Time Transfixed. One of the most interesting subjects was Cupid Chastised by Manicotti, or some other Italian pasta. Mars is giving a horsewhipping to Cupid, as Venus looks on. Sure, sure... get the hots for your sister and then take it out on poor naked winged Cupid.

Had Italian food at a restaurant near the hotel. Square pasta with a nice beefy ragout. Had some vin santo for dessert.

Now, I'm in the press room at the convention center in Chicago. My feet are hurting already, despite the many Dr. Scholl's products that Rebecca thoughtfully provided me. I've made it about a quarter of the way through the exhibit hall. There are neat cafes that are on pillars *above* the convention hall, so you can get a great view from up there of the whole landscape of booths. All the people look like scientist-ants. Okay, off to some press conferences.

Ciao!

Comments

Chicago Art

[(Anonymous)]

Do they still have some of Edward Albright's stuff in there? ("Picture of Dorian Gray")

That was one twisted dude. He made beautiful models look ugly...but still natural.

I always liked the Chicago Art Institute...it was a nice retreat from the BS at school (and just down the street). And free on Tuesdays!

Re: Chicago Art

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Don't remember seeing a 'Dorian Grey'. There was one painting that may have been an Albright. The model was apparently a svelte 20 year old, but the artist had transformed her into a puffy old whore/hag attending to her make-up. It looked like the kind of exaggerated stuff you see in 'hotrod art', but it was painted around 1920, I think.

Ah, yes, here it is. *Ivan* Albright

Since I'm poking around the art institute, here are some of the other things.

Cupid Chastised

Nighthawks

American Gothic (the display said that the woman was Wood's sister, and the gentleman was his dentist.)

Time Transfixed

You could swear you could walk into this painting of Paris, by Caillebotte, whose name has far too many letters to sound like some sort of martial art/aerobics.

Oh, and they don't have a picture of it, but they had a beautiful room of arms and armor, with the biggest-assed fuck-you two-handed sword I've ever seen. The haft was at least a yard long. I think you'd need that much leverage to swing the 7 feet of iron around with any ease. It was seriously just as long as the pole arms on the wall next to it.

[(Anonymous)]

Don't forget the Field Museum. If you go, and are taking those pictures, get one for me of the shrine to Bast. And the Voudon altar. And the Tibetan phurbas. And... Oh, just ignore me and have fun.

d'oh

[(Anonymous)]

Right, IVAN Albright. Mea culpa.

Yeah, I didn't realize how much of the cool, notewworthy stuff the Institute had until I compared it to other museums.

That Calliebotte Paris painting is cool, is it not?? You want to stare at it in an empty room, though.

And the Grant Wood painting, when I saw it, was just hanging in an unremarkable corner in a Modern America section. Few people even noticed it.

Envy!