Now that I live in the Midwest, the Art Institute of Chicago will be popping up more and more on this blog, and I promise an extensive Art in Real Life dedicated to this huge institution once I have more than an afternoon to devote to it.  Until then, here are some preliminary thoughts after a whirlwind first visit to the museum…

We began with the brand-new Modern Wing, and though my group of friends and I didn’t get through nearly all of the new addition, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I’d be. We all agreed it was a fairly predictable receptacle for Modern art, though it was light and airy.  We spent a fair bit of time in the contemporary photography gallery, whose curatorial choices I found somewhat baffling: one wall is covered in grey paper that has been folded over and over, upon which photographs and label text are hung or printed.  Though I wanted to like it (I love paper, after all) I could not for the life of me figure out why the choice of grey, folded paper over painting the wall–it didn’t click.  And while I liked the clear, deliberate juxtapositions the curator had made with the works themselves, the space was too small and had too many people zigzagging around the space to fully appreciate those choices.* 

Admittedly, I’m much more in love with art made before the 1900s than most later works, so for me what makes the Art Institute really worth a visit is their European and American art collection.  Among the highlights: famous Georgia O’Keeffes, American Gothic, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks (see above), Cezannes and Monets galore, Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge, and of course, Seurat’s La Grande Jatte, among many others.  Rest assured: More of those to come on this blog! We ended our visit with the miniature rooms underneath the grand stairway, a collection of tiny, incredibly crafted historic spaces that are a lot of fun.

Finally, if you like anything to do with Japanese culture, calligraphy in general, or the beauty of a brushstroke, you must go visit Beyond Golden Clouds: Japanese Screens before September 27.  I loved the “greatest hits” of the Art Institute, but that show–from the work it showcases to the clear label copy to the huge room lined with screens–is truly stunnning.

*Edit—Today I spoke with an assistant curator at my own museum and she brought up two great points about the Modern Wing.  First, the architecture really does interact with the city of Chicago: the buildings, the railway, the parks are all visible from the many windows inside it, in a way that isn’t so in the older building, and it creates a much more welcoming atmosphere.  In addition, she mentioned that she thought the photography gallery was curated by an artist–which might explain its unusual setup.  That’s what I get for not having the time to read labels!

The Art Institute of Chicago | 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL | Website

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium holds some of the finest Flemish and French art in Europe.  Ever wondered what these masterpieces look like up close?  Not to worry — here are shots of some of my favorite works in their collection, as well as many of the beautiful museum itself.  The building, located in Brussels, in fact houses two museums: the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern art (explained in the captions below).  This is the second in the Art History Blog’s series called Art in Real Life, which aims to give context to some of the world’s greatest masterpieces of art.

Click on any of the pictures below to open the gallery; click next (or type “n” on your keyboard) to view the next photo.

TAHB’s Art in Real Life series: Paris | Brussels | Rome

The first installment of Art in Real Life is in Paris, home to countless masterworks of art. I was lucky enough to go to Paris when I was abroad, and annoyed many of my friends by insisting they stand in front of artwork so I could get shots of how large the piece actually was.  Have you, too, wondered just how big David’s Oath of the Horatii is or whether you’re taller than the Mona Lisa?  Read on for highlights at the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.

	Musée du Louvre A view of the central courtyard from the Richelieu Wing (much quieter than the famous Denon Wing, where the Mona Lisa is housed), and the famous I. M. Pei designed pyramid. Want to take a different sort of virtual tour of the Louvre? Check out their website.
	Venus de Milo Contrapposto, classical beauty, Greek drapery… it’s all there.  The statue is really quite big, and there are always at least 35 tourists around snapping pictures of her. Konica Minolta has reconstructed the Venus de Milo digitally, and it’s pretty stunning.  Check it out here.
	Nike or Winged Victory As you enter the famous Denon Wing, where all the greats of Renaissance art are housed, you’re greeted with the huge Winged Victory.  Another larger than life statue; you can feel the wind that blows her toga and wings back.
	Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa She’s actually really small, and you can barely get close enough to see her elusive smile.  Right around the corner, though, is Giorgione’s Pastoral Symphony…which you could breathe on, if you like. My professor had warned us she was really dirty, but I found the painting pretty bright (maybe that’s because my expectations were so low. True story: my English teacher in high school touched the Mona Lisa before it was under glass. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that anecdote.
	Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know this is one of my favorite paintings.  Check out what I wrote about it last year.  You can only imagine how much I freaked out when walking through this room… It was smaller than I’d imagined, but still quite formidable.
	Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa Really big!  At least life size, if not larger.  The figure on the bottom right, which Gericault added on hanging day for the Paris Salon, literally tumbles out towards you as if it’s going to fall onto your lap. Fittingly creepy, as it’s a corpse.
	Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People The famous French Revolution picture is a lot smaller than I’d imagined — not quite the monumental size of, say, Raft of the Medusa — but the smoky haziness really emerges as you go past.
	Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker Again, if you’re a longtime TAHB reader, you probably know how much I love Vermeer — a whole lot.  This painting, probably a later work, is tiny and precious, and even though it doesn’t have that special quality that Vermeer’s works in the Rijksmuseum possess, any work by Vermeer can take your breath away. Want to see all of Vermeer’s paintings, in scale, side by side? Click here.
	Musée d’Orsay The d’Orsay is huge, has basically every important 19th century and 20th century masterpiece, and is housed in a former train station.
	Claude Monet, Rouen Cathedral series We started at the top and worked our way down — thus also going backwards, but cleverly beating the crowds (I highly recommend that tactic!). Monet’s paintings were small, but not surprisingly so: big enough to immerse yourself in, but small enough to feel as if the scene is all yours.
	Claude Monet, Ladies in a Garden Meanwhile, downstairs, Monet’s earlier work hangs downstairs — much larger than his later works.
	Eduoard Manet, Olympia The famous courtesan follows in a long history — from Giorgione to Titian — and Manet’s “muddy” style, as critics like to say, is astounding in person.

Let me know what you think of this series — helpful? Useful? Cool? Lame? I’d love to hear your opinions as I keep working on other posts for it!

TAHB’s Art in Real Life series: Paris | Brussels | Rome