Final Blog - Art Institute 'Final Exam'

"Step in closer, and take a look at the toenails", exclaims our fearless leader, on yesterday's tour of the Art Institute in Chicago.

 I am embarrassed to say that I have lived in the Chicago area for 20 years and this was my first time visiting this museum. It's almost as embarrassing to admit that one should be paying attention to details such as fingernails and toenails at a fine art museum.

 But it turns out Nathan Peck hit the nail (pun entirely intended) on the head with this one. The details, it seems, are worth taking a look at, and it was something I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the tour.







I found myself looking at things that I wouldn't normally have thought to look at, if it hadn't been for my instructor's encouragement.




The details in Seurat's "A Sunday on LaGrande Jatte" were awe-inspiring, & I admit, I had to go back and take a longer look at this one after the tour was complete. You can't really tell how much labor this work entailed until you've seen the brush strokes in person. And the painting was even more beautiful than I had imagined it would be. So much, so, that I couldn't resist purchasing a magnet of the painting on my way out of the museum.

Of course, I had to checkout Wood's "American Gothic" before I left. Like Seurat's impressive painting, it is one that has been mimicked and referenced so many times over, I just had to see what the original looked like.

 Smaller than I had imagined, but iconic, nonetheless.


I was pleased to have a little time to check out the Charles Ray sculptures as well. I haven't seen work like these before, and found it to be a thought provoking collection. This particular sculpture caught my eye, as it had a striking resemblance to my fiancé. Besides needing a haircut, the sculpture was pretty spot on.

  Most interestingly, I enjoyed the concept of adding to my knowledge base, or 'baggage' as peck so cleverly put it. This allowed me to decipher what I thought of Constantin Brancusi's sculpture entitled "Two Penguins".






 How could I not see toenails after all that I had seen that afternoon?

 

Thanks, Mr. Peck, for an informative and entertaining class, particularly the final exam. I loved the fact that our group tripled in size along the way (I hope that speaks to your teaching skills!). I also enjoy the prospect of returning to the museum (sooner than later), to give a tour of my own to my family.