Three Artist's and Their Work

I chose to do further research the artists Jaume Plensa, Gustave Caillebotte and Camille Pissarro. This is what I discovered about each.

Jaume Plensa

 Jaume Plensa created The Crown Fountain. I chose to do further research on this artist because first piece was so amazing that I had to see what else he has created. The large scale of his pieces is what really draws my attention. Jaume Plensa was born in Barcelona in 1955. His has lived and worked in Berlin, Brussels, England, France and the USA. He has won many national and international awards for his work.

Silent Rain, 2003
Iron

House of Knowledge, 2008
Painted Stainless Steal

I absolutely love Jaume Plensa's work! I am so glad this was one of the artist I chose to  research. I like the use of words to create images. This reminds me of the work that I looked at in the Chicago Cultural Center in the Write Now exhibit. 


For more information about Jaume Plensa you can visit his website  http://jaumeplensa.com/




Gustave Caillebotte

Gustave Caillebotte created one of my favorite pieces in the Art Institute of Chicago; Paris Street, Rainy Day. He was born on August 19, 1848 in France. He became interested in art after visiting an artist named, Leon Bonnat. Shortly after he developed his own style and began painting. Gustave Caillebotte does work that varies from people, to nature to still life paintings. 

                        Young Man Playing the Piano 

Boats On the Seine at Argenteuil

I think Gustave Caillebotte has wonderful pieces that really give an insight into the world that he lived in. Paintings like his get better and better as time goes on.  All of his work makes me wish I could paint.

For more information on Gustave Caillebotte you can visit his website at http://www.gustavcaillebotte.org/ 

Camille Pissarro

I was interested in learning more about Camille Pissarro because of the style in which he painted. His work seems to have layers that add depth to the paintings making it so interesting to look at. I viewed his painting, The Place du Havre, Paris at the Art Institute of Chicago and fell in love with his work. Camille Pissarro was born on July 10, 1830 on the Caribbean Island of St Thomas. His parents sent him to live in Paris at age 12 and that is where his art career began. 

Fox Hill, Upper Norwood, 1870

La Foret, 1870

I think Camille Pissarro's work really captures a moment. Some of his subjects remind me of Gustave Caillebottes, but their style is completely different. Camille would paint a person much differently than Gustave would. His work has a little bit of a free and more abstract quality about it. 

To learn more about Camille Pissarro you can visit his website at 

http://www.pissarro.vi/index.htm

A Few Quick Sketches

This sketch got a little wrinkly, but it's
 of a building that I faced while
 taking a break on a bench.
 I don't really know what made me
 what to sketch it. I think it's because
 of the unusual way the side of the
 building went in and out.

I quickly sketched a pattern that I liked from a piece called, Les Altheas by Raoul Dufy. His piece is done in red, yellow and orange. When I saw this I thought about how beautiful it would be in a different set of colors, such as blues, greens and purples or making it crazy and using all neon colors. I like this piece because I think it has so much versatility. 

I took a moment to sketch this scene because it seems weird to have all these trees and then suddenly a set of buildings and rushing cars behind it. It is one of the things I enjoy about the city; one moment you're in a park and the next you're surround by city life. 

Chicago Cultural Center

The Chicago Cultural Center was absolutely my favorite part of the entire trip. The art that I looked at there was work that I found similar to my own. I enjoy seeing art that was done yesterday, instead of years and years ago. A lot of the art there seemed like it had so much emotion put into it. I wasn't suppose to take pictures of the work, but I got a few just because I couldn't help myself. 

The interior of the building is beautiful.
Amazing work was done on the ceilings and walls.

I loved this piece even though
 I didn't completely understand it.

I wish I could have taken an individual picture
 of each of these pieces. I love like how they were
 displayed all together though. It's really
 attention grabbing to see a wall covered in art like this

    At first glance I thought this was just painted
 wood...then I read it. It says  "I remember  when you
 looked both ways before letting me kiss you." 

Art Venues and My Opinions

 I love the idea of public art. It is seen by everyone passing by and creates unique landmarks in a city filled with buildings. If I were to create a piece of art I would want it to be publicly displayed because art is meant to be seen, not hidden away. Although, art museums have many positive aspects, if you truly want to put your art out there, it should be public. In addition to viewing public art and visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, I also looked at art in a few galleries. I visited many in the Michigan Ave/ River East/ Loop. The galleries included; KM Fine Arts, Valerie Carberry Gallery, The Fine Arts Building, R.S Johnson Fine Arts and President's Gallery, Harold Washington College. As much as I like public venues, galleries are a close second in deciding where I would want to place my art. I think galleries have a public, but also private feel. Many people wander into galleries to view art, but usually it is someone that already has an interest in art. This I suppose, is why I keep going back to public art. It is not only seen by those with an interest in art, but also by the general public.  

Downtown, Public Art and Utrecht

A shot of the street.

I really liked the arches in on
 the bottom of this building.
I think this photo also
shows how hectic the city can be.

Jaume Plensa
The Crown Fountain, 2004
Black granite, glass brick, 
LED screens and water

Jaume Plensa
The Crown Fountain, 2004
Black granite, glass brick, LED screens and water
Crown Fountain is at Millennium Park and 
was definitely my favorite piece of public art.
I wish I could have seen it with the water.

Pablo Picasso
Untitled- Known as The Picasso
Cor-Ten steel
This a huge sculpture!
I have seen picture of it before, 
but its so much larger in person.

This is such a cool fountain. It looks
 like the water is just shooting
out from the ground.

Joan Miro
Miro's Chicago
Steel, wire mesh, concrete, 
bronze and ceramic tile

Such a big television!

Another shot of the busy city
streets.

A giant Macy's!

I don't know what is sticking out of these
flowers, but I thought it was worthy
of a photograph.

I went in and wandered around the
store, but didn't end up buying anything.
They have all the art supplies anyone
could need.

Chicago has everything I could possibly want;
shopping, art and good food.

A super tall and scary fire escape.

A coffee break was needed mid-day. 




Being in Chicago and visiting all the museums and galleries was amazing, but  when I'm in  Chicago my favorite thing to do is just walk around. You can't really get bored when you're downtown. There are a million stores to go in and millions restaurants to eat at. 

Art Institute of Chicago

Edward Kemeys 
Lions
The Lions are the first thing you see as you 
approach the Art Institute of Chicago. I
 wanted to take of picture of one because they
 are a trademark of the museum. 

Camille Pissarro
French, 1830-1903
Woman Sewing, 1895
Oil on Canvas

Detail on Woman Sewing
This detail is what amazed me most about the piece. 
I can't image how this artist knew that the
 combination of all these similar colors would
 make the fabric look realistic and beautiful.

Camille Pissarro
French, 1830-1903
The Place du Havre, Paris 1893
Oil on Canvas
I love this painting! There is so much happening 
in it which makes its so interesting.

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853-1890
Terrace and Observation Deck at
 Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre, 1887
Oil on Canvas, Mounted on Pressboard

Gustave Caillebotte
French, 1848-1894
Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1877
Oil on Canvas
Definitely my favorite painting. It's simple,
 clean and totally catches a moment.

Left from the Chicago Worlds Fair
This was beautiful and huge! I wish I could
 have seen it with all the candle lit.

Left from the Chicago Worlds Fair
I was nervous standing underneath 
because I was scared it would fall on 
me...I had to get the picture though.

Left from the Chicago Worlds Fair
I'm not sure what this was, but 
the design is so cool.

Jan van Goyen
Dutch, 1596-1656
Fishing Boats off an Estuary, 1633
Oil on Panel
This painting creates a really gloomy feel. 
It's sad, but beautiful at the same time.
The clouds look realistic and have so much volume.

Architecture left from Chicago Worlds Fair

Furisode
Japan
This piece has wonderful detail. 
I can't imagine how much time it took to create.

Paul Follot
French 1877-1941
Panel
I like this piece because of the crazy pattern.
I couldn't walk by it without taking a picture.

Raoul Dufy
French, 1877-1953
Panel entitled Les Altheas, 1914/20
Beautiful pattern! 

Richard Riemerschmid
Germany. Grenzhausen
Bowl with Cover, 1905/06

Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Scotland
Table Clock, 1910
Painted wood with
 bone inlay and metal works
I really like this strange little clock.
I think I have a bit of a fascination with time.

Meindert Hobbema
Dutch 1638-1709
The Watermill with the
 Great Red Roof, 1662/65
Oil on Canvas
This piece reminds me of something 
you would see in the south.  It's a painting 
that makes you feel like you're
 looking outside a window.

Adriaen van der Spelt
Dutch, 1630-1673
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life with a
 Flower Garland and a Curtain, 1658
Oil on Panel
The curtain is the best part of the painting. 
I probably spent 10 minutes just staring at it
attempting to figure out how Adriaen van 
der Spelt made it look so real.

Giuseppe Maria Crespi
Italian, 1665-1747
The Wedding at Cana, 1686
Oil on Canvas
Close up

Giuseppe Maria Crespi
Italian, 1665-1747
The Wedding at Cana, 1686
Oil on Canvas
I was impressed by the size of this
painting. The people were larger
than life. The folds in the fabric
are really well done.

Red Coral
Mediterranean Sea

Anthony van Dyck
Flemish, 1599-1641
Portrait of a Lady,
 Possibly a Member of the Vincque Family, c. 1619
Oil on Canvas

Anthony van Dyck
Flemish, 1599-1641
Portrait of a Lady, 
Possibly a Member of the Vincque Family, c. 1619
Oil on Canvas
Close up
The lace sleeve is what drew me to this piece.
 I was shocked by how real it looked.

Attributed to Paolo Antonio Barbieri
Italian, 1603-1649
Kitchen Still Life, c. 1640
Oil on Canvas
So realistic! One of the best
still life paintings I have ever seen.

Vincent van Gogh
The Bedroom, 1889
Oil on Canvas

As I look over the paintings and works of art I like most, I realize that  I enjoy a lot of the French art. I'm not sure what it is about the French paintings, but they are the ones that are always drawn to my attention. I think one of my favorite pieces from the museum is Gustave Caillebotte's painting, Paris Street, Rainy Day. I love how it is simply while still being detailed and realistic. The street filled with water is incredible.  The piece was also quite large in size, which I found really impressive.

Another section of the Art Institute of Chicago that I took interest in was the hall with all the remains of the Chicago Worlds Fair. I have read about this fair and it was really cool to actually see the pieces.  The architecture  built for the fair must have been amazing  and truly beautiful.