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mojosmomI got the Sunday paper read, and I was out the door by quarter to ten, headed for the Art Institute. That place is so distracting!
I left Clockwork by the Josef Hoffmann floor clock in the Decorative Arts Department.
Then I headed for the Rembrandt exhibit, “Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher". I’m going to have to go back; there was so much there! Room after room full of prints. And being a Sunday, it was, of course, crowded. Since most of the works really need to be seen close up, it was a bit difficult. But well worth it. I am confirmed in my opinion that what sets a great artist aside from a merely good one is the abiity to handle light.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Art Institute has set up two rooms, separate from the main exhibit, that discuss the process of printmaking, the tools, the paper, the different kind of prints, states, etc. As part of Rembrandt’s Studio: Influences and Inspiration, Teaching, Techniques and Tools in Prints and Drawings, the folks at Anchor Graphics are doing printmaking demonstrations; that was fun to watch.
Of course, I had to stop by the Asian galleries to see what prints were up there. Absolutely knockout prints of Eishi’s Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets, and related prints.
There were a number of them showing the stories of Ono no Komachi. A couple of books from the Ryerson library were there. This was interesting, because apparently books were printed with pictures of the poets, and a large blank area on the page, for young people to practice their calligraphy by copying the poems into the book. I liked that! The Tadao Ando screen gallery had related screens up, one pair showing a tree in fall and in spring, with poem slips hanging from its branches, the other with figures of immortal poets.
I went to see what was going on in the photography galleries, and there was an exhibit of Harlem photographer James Van der Zee, who documented the world of the middle-class African-American up until his death at the age of 96!
So enough of the art already! Then I went shopping. I admit, however, that I shopped at the Art Institute gift shop. I found a perfect gift for Stacey’s birthday! A set of four Japanese shallow condiment dishes, in the shape of cat heads, each different in design, but with her favorite blue color. I think she’ll like them. Then I went all over - the Architecture Foundation, the Cultural Center - looking for gifts to take to Japan. Nancy suggested we try to find something special for the granddaughter of one papermaking family - she’s 26 - I found a very nice journal with an unusual binding - two spirals of wood. I’m also looking for small (read - easily transported in my luggage) gifts for others; I’d like to get some Chicago related gifts. Then boring shopping - bought a bunch of t-shirts at H & M. (I don’t get the hoopla that surrounded their opening here; yes, the stuff is relatively inexpensive, but it’s nothing to write home about!) And I did replenish my stock of Chicago postcards that I like to put in the books I send out.
I took my camera with me. I haven’t taken pictures in ages, and I want to be sure I still remember how!
Dinner will be mushroom quiche and salad, followed by my Italian homework.
I left Clockwork by the Josef Hoffmann floor clock in the Decorative Arts Department.
Then I headed for the Rembrandt exhibit, “Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher". I’m going to have to go back; there was so much there! Room after room full of prints. And being a Sunday, it was, of course, crowded. Since most of the works really need to be seen close up, it was a bit difficult. But well worth it. I am confirmed in my opinion that what sets a great artist aside from a merely good one is the abiity to handle light.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Art Institute has set up two rooms, separate from the main exhibit, that discuss the process of printmaking, the tools, the paper, the different kind of prints, states, etc. As part of Rembrandt’s Studio: Influences and Inspiration, Teaching, Techniques and Tools in Prints and Drawings, the folks at Anchor Graphics are doing printmaking demonstrations; that was fun to watch.
Of course, I had to stop by the Asian galleries to see what prints were up there. Absolutely knockout prints of Eishi’s Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets, and related prints.
There were a number of them showing the stories of Ono no Komachi. A couple of books from the Ryerson library were there. This was interesting, because apparently books were printed with pictures of the poets, and a large blank area on the page, for young people to practice their calligraphy by copying the poems into the book. I liked that! The Tadao Ando screen gallery had related screens up, one pair showing a tree in fall and in spring, with poem slips hanging from its branches, the other with figures of immortal poets.
I went to see what was going on in the photography galleries, and there was an exhibit of Harlem photographer James Van der Zee, who documented the world of the middle-class African-American up until his death at the age of 96!
So enough of the art already! Then I went shopping. I admit, however, that I shopped at the Art Institute gift shop. I found a perfect gift for Stacey’s birthday! A set of four Japanese shallow condiment dishes, in the shape of cat heads, each different in design, but with her favorite blue color. I think she’ll like them. Then I went all over - the Architecture Foundation, the Cultural Center - looking for gifts to take to Japan. Nancy suggested we try to find something special for the granddaughter of one papermaking family - she’s 26 - I found a very nice journal with an unusual binding - two spirals of wood. I’m also looking for small (read - easily transported in my luggage) gifts for others; I’d like to get some Chicago related gifts. Then boring shopping - bought a bunch of t-shirts at H & M. (I don’t get the hoopla that surrounded their opening here; yes, the stuff is relatively inexpensive, but it’s nothing to write home about!) And I did replenish my stock of Chicago postcards that I like to put in the books I send out.
I took my camera with me. I haven’t taken pictures in ages, and I want to be sure I still remember how!
Dinner will be mushroom quiche and salad, followed by my Italian homework.
