With Colin's winter break ending far too quickly, I'm trying to sneak in as much "mom time" as I can these days. I took the day off work yesterday to go downtown with him and just hang out--just the two of us. In spite of the fact that we nearly froze to death, it was a swell time.Heads up to those of you in and around Chicago--the Art Institute of Chicago is offering free admission during the weekdays in January until February 3. And while you may not spend the money to go there regularly, free admission is a good excuse to check it out. Colin and I decided to take advantage of that offer and headed there for the day.
We met Joe for a nice lunch and then walked the freezing cold few blocks to the Art Institute. I hadn't been there for years, so it was great to introduce Colin to some classics that make Chicago their home. I don't recommend the Art Institute for kids--I think that place is way too boring for little ones, so we never took our kids when they were little. I like that we could enjoy it together today without either one of us wanting to cry.
Some of the easily recognizable paintings were:
"American Gothic" by Grant Wood
"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper
The waterlily series by Claude Monet
And,"A Sunday on La Grand Jatte" by Georges Seurat
or better known by my kids as
"That painting in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'."
Sigh. I try, people. I really do.
26 comments:
Haven't been there in years. Passed by it on the way back from Taste a couple years go (first and last for that but had to see the O'Jays). It's just too painful to get around in Chicago and winter makes it worse
. I'm strictly a suburban girl and a North Shore one at that.
Who could pass up free admission. At least you were able to get Colin to spend time with you. A couple years ago my son was home on leave and couldn't spare more than a half hour, he was too busy spending time with all his friends and family was at the bottom of his priority list.
How wonderful to spend the day with your son. And how lovely to be getting a little culture... ;)
xo Catherine
It's a great place to get some interesting conversations going...
Paintings with millions of dollars? How fun! ("Nighthawks" is one of my favorites)
An afternoon with your boy? Priceless.
I miss museums.
*sigh*
Last time I was at the Art Institute the Monet Exhibit was there--and sold out. Sigh!
My fave in the institute is the black and white photography.
Sounds like a nice day just hanging out with your son. I'm surprised they let you take picture inside the art museum though. I like looking at art but don't care for that modern abstract stuff.
That's the perfect time to enjoy the art institute...when it's free and you're spending time with your kids. I didn't know that the name of the one painting was Nighthawks.
Who says John Hughes isn't educational. The only time my 99% of my friends ever saw that picture WAS in FBDO. Love, love, love a gallery day!
Well, at least they noticed the painting in the movie! I only remember the car. Glad you had a good day with Colin at the museum!
Wish I was in Chicago to see this very fine collection!!!!
I have never been there. Of course, it has been years since I have been to Chicago so that might explain it. Sounds like a great outing before he goes back to school.
An amazing collection... now tell me about that lion.
We've been there!!!! I went to Chicago to stalk my boyfriend (Jonathan) when he was there on business.
Who said a girl who loves to talk about crap...literally can't be cultured too? Bring on the Monets!!
Nellie
http://midlifecruiser.blogspot.com
I love love love that hopper painting, its one of my favorites and A Sunday was something my grandmother had on something in her home - I always remember seeing it :)
Tracy
Helene--Bummer. I like the city in small doses. Did the Taste the last couple of years, but that is in need of a major overhaul. I like the cultural events in the city.
Ann--He's on his last week of being home and some of his friends have already left, so he has some time left for me. :) Which was really nice. I sure miss him when he is gone.
Catherine--I liked the free admission because we didn't feel like we had to stay all day to justify the cost of getting in. It was nice to spend just a few hours there and move onto other adventures as well.
Grace--People watching was FAB, Grace. I should have taken photos of everyone there instead of the paintings. :)
Betty--Yeah. :) We had a nice day together.
Pricilla--That is what keeps us here in spite of the cost of living. We like the accessibility of going into the city for entertainment, museums, and baseball.
Jodi--I enjoyed the Buddha statues, believe it or not. I love how serene the faces are.
Karen--Photography is allowed, but no flash. There is a lot of people who use the art for inspiration or reference. I actually had a nice conversation with an artist about using the photos for inspiration.
Chocolate--It was nice because we didn't feel the need to see every exhibit or walk the entire museum to get our money's worth. We spent a few hours, saw what we wanted, then wandered the city a bit. It was a lovely day just me and him.
DG--How else would we know that Abe Froman is the Sausage King of Chicago???
Beaded Tail--What I love about Ferris Bueller is how timeless that movie is. And how it speaks to every generation. That house (Cameron's) is currently for sale--FYI.
Jean--It was a nice treat. It always amazes me on what paintings the Art Institute has on display. They really have a nice collection.
Anne--It's sort of a snoozer to do all day, but it is a nice couple of hours to spend with someone. It's nice to see some of these classics in person.
Highway--I thought about submitting the lions for points, but it's not really "yard art". Bummer. I think I would have scored BIG time!
Nellie--Bring the Big Rig on around, Nellie, and we'll meet ya there! And we can go to the Bean and maybe a concert in Millennium Park.
Tracy--"Sunday" is fabulous up close. I'm still trying to figure out if he did one color at a time or did he just have a bunch of brushes with paint on them lying there to use. Either way--I would have gone CRAZY doing that! It is a HUGE painting!
I do too but I can't do a lot of walking and public transportation is not handicapped friendly. Metra is safest but I have no clue where I am once there, I'd pay for a cab Before I'd take the Red Line. Driving is out of the question. And I have no one to go with. I live through your pictures these days :-) Get to see the city from here. And yes, I do love Chicago.
I guess we should be glad kids have seen them anywhere...
Way to go, Lin!! I love that place. Didn't realize about free admission but it's been so darn cold here, I barely make it to the post office, never mind taking the Metra to Olgalvie (SP???) Center and then walking like 9 blocks up to Michigan Ave....bbbbbrrrrrrrrrr! Love the wreaths on the lions...too bad it isn't Bears helmets, eh?
Helene--I have to admit that I wasn't sure what was gonna fall off first--my legs from all that walking or my frozen nose! ;)
Sharky--I was trying to think where I learned so much about paintings and I think it was my college Humanities class. Or my cousin's "Masterpiece" game. ;)
WillOaks--We cheated and took a cab back to the train station. It was definitely worth it--it was very COLD!!!!
Hey man, the art teacher in me says, at least they know it, no matter how:) Glad you had the chance to spend some time alone with your boy. Back in the day, that's where I wanted to go to grad. school. Did it happen? Oh, no. One of these days I might start looking into it;)
Wish I could see the paintings,Lin. Lovely to know you had a great time with Colin.
My local museum has the original Thomas Cole paintings, "A Voyage of Life"!!!! Which is amazing because all my life (I was an art major) I loved that series! Now I can go and see the originals anytime I want!
Been there, done that, would love to do it again asap. Nighthawks is my most favorite painting of all time, by the way. I love it, and it's almost indescribable in person. I wanted to take it, but I was afraid the guards would get upset.
P.S. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a classic movie. Your kids could do worse. And, hey, at least they recognize one famous painting.
Nancy--Colin actually knew a lot more paintings than I thought he would--including Nighthawks. I wanted to murder the teacher who insisted on standing in front of the painting to talk about it for her class, but prohibited us from enjoying it up close. Arrrggghhhh.
Veronica--It is really amazing to enjoy these classics up close. And with Colin. I'm gonna miss him when he leaves this weekend.
Rebecca--Oh, what luck!
MikeWJ--I think you need to pull a "Ferris" and take a day off work to visit it again, Mike. I'll meet you for lunch and you can pretend you are Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago. ;)
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