Chicago: Part Two
I forgot to include one of the funniest things that happened on our trip up to Chicago. We stopped at a Subway / gas station for lunch, and at the point where we were almost done eating but not quite, the power went out. Everyone in the restaurant kind of looked around and joked a bit, and then, as conversations resumed around the various tables, the bibliophile deadpanned, "This hasn't been the most auspicious day." Hee!
Meanwhile, in trip recapping land, we left the Corner Bakery and headed for Water Tower Place to visit Lush. Now, before I show you what I got, I have to put in a good word for Lush in case there are any skeptics reading this. I was once one of you. I once looked at froufy fizzing bath bombs and somewhat-pricey shower gels and scoffed, dismissing them as a silly, girly, overpriced indulgence. Then, my friend Tam brought me a bottle of this stuff, and I was hooked. I'm just about the least girly girl there is, and I love this froufy girly bath stuff. If you like baths, especially bubble baths, take it from me...Lush is teh awesome.
second row: Sakura, Golden Slumbers, Honey Bee
third row: Blackberry, Think Pink, another Sakura
bottom: another Think Pink
After Lush, we took a bus down to the Art Institute to take advantage of the free Friday night admission. We saw the garden where Nick and J-Dog got hitched last summer, then stumbled upon this wicked skull detail on the side of the lion's pedestal, which I'd never noticed despite several past visits and a fascination with the lion in question:
While rabidmonkey and the apathetic one headed for the Asian galleries and Nick and J-Dog struck out with an audio tour headset shared between them, I followed Evilducky and the bibliophile to the American and European galleries. I have received very little formal art education, and never took any kind of art appreciation in college, but I really enjoyed the galleries we visited, even though I'm sure Evilducky (who has an art degree) and the bibliophile (who has an art teacher mother and a graphic designer father) recognized a lot more stuff / names.
I was less enthralled with the Impressionist pieces than I probably should've been, but I'd like to think I made up for it with my enthusiasm for the Van Goghs. And, the freaking Old Guitarist. One of my two favorite Picasso pieces of all time (the other is Don Quixote). Standing in front of that painting was a pretty amazing experience.
Some other recognizable works and new pieces that I really enjoyed:
"To me they are as beautiful as anything I know...The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive on the desert even tho' it is vast and empty and untouchable."
Cow's Skull With Calico Roses & Red and Pink Rocks and Teeth
Peter Blume painted The Rock in 1948 as a commission for Pittsburgh entrepreneur Edgar Kaufmann. Kaufmann initially approached Blume in 1939 for an image of his family and their new home, Falling Water, which had been recently completed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The commission occupied Blume for much of the next decade as he struggled with physical and mental fatigue. He slowly crafted an enigmatic painting that has often been interpreted as an optimistic image of renewal in the midst of a postwar world plagued by decay and destruction. Yet evidence suggests that Blume may have painted The Rock as a piercing allegory of the creative act, in which imaginative production may promise renewal or regeneration but may also require sacrifice and result in unforeseen, devastating consequences. *
We had to rush through the galleries pretty quickly, but I'm glad we went. For a quick run-through, it was pretty kickass.
I have to say, though...this look? Works for no one:
Next time: Chicago Botanic Garden, desserts, and game night.
I am often jealous of your extraordinarily interesting yet not insane life.
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