One thing that seems to be typical of many cities are these type of streets lights. They have a very classic feel and I love when you look down the street and see them lining it on both sides.
I took this picture because I really liked the way the design on the lower part of the building blended with the original stone and fire escape. It gave it a kind of vintage feel I thought.
I loved the shape and detail of these lights. They aren't like most of the lights you expect to see in a city, but they have a similar look that has been done in a more creative interesting way.
I took this picture because I thought this scene gave a really industrial feel, even though it was in a main part of the city. It looks kind of like something you would see in or around a factory, but i liked the dark colors and the look of it.
I thought this would be an interesting picture because the road was strangely empty, which seems unusual for typical Chicago streets. Also, taking the photo while in the middle of the street I thought would enhance the desolate look.
I took this picture when we were walking in circles and getting lost trying to find some art galleries. I'm pretty sure we passed this street sign multiple times before actually reaching our destination.
I really liked the colors and details of this building. The red brick contrasts the turquoise roof and windows.
One of my favorite type of photos to take in cities are ones with buildings that reflect perfect blue skies and I liked how the windows of this building curved to distort the reflection.
With this picture I got the sense of being completely surrounded by the city on all levels. You could look up and see so much going on. Urban life surrounded us everywhere we looked, and if I didn't love the city I could imagine how someone could feel trapped by it.
I took this picture in Millenium park while we were walking toward the Bean and I like all the metal of the sculpture and the buildings contrasted with the grass and the trees of the park.
I took this picture because I like the way the city surrounded the Bean behind it, the reflection in it, and the many people around it. It's like getting a 360 degree view. Something I also just noticed that I think is kind of cool is that you can see where the clouds break up and blue sky appears behind you and in the reflection, but just looking straight ahead it looks like a completely cloudy day.
Of course we had to take the typical reflection of ourselves in the Bean. I don't know what's so fascinating about it, but for some reason those picture are so fun to take.
I took this picture because the streets lights were starting to turn on and the sun was setting, probably my favorite time to be in a city, but also because I really liked the detailed clock on the corner of the building on the left. There were a few of them on the corners of this building and I just thought they were very elegant and classic.
I took this picture while the sun was setting around the Bean. I loved the way the lights and sky reflected in it.
I liked this view because of the city lights, buildings, and trees and the way you can look down the long street. Many objects in the picture form one line that draws your eye to one point.
Blick art store...
Outside Blick art supply store, one of the very first places we went.
There was such a wide range of colors and varieties of everything in the Blick art store, so I was trying to capture endlessness of materials with this picture.
Rosenthal Art Gallery...
This is a picture I took in the State Street Gallery displaying work by Sam Rosenthal. I loved the rich colors and size of his pieces.
This piece, titled "Green Dolphin Street Bridge," was probably one of my favorites of Rosenthal's work. I love the cheerful pastel colors, the magnified composition, and the proportions of the actual canvas.
Art Insitute...
I love the architecture of many of the museums in Chicago, including the Art Institute. It seems like they will never see old fashioned in a bad way, but rather in a prestigious way.
This picture I took walking the Art Institute. It was such a grand looking hall, displaying beautiful old sculptures and other pieces of art.
I love seeing really famous pieces like this one, Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day, in museums because it seems so unreal that it is the original art work. This photo doesn't capture it, but I find it funny how many people are usually surrounding these types of pieces.
The Art Institute had a huge collection of van Gogh pieces, who is probably one of my favorite artists. I love his unique style. This piece is titled, "Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, 1887."
When I saw this work of art, it reminded me of the discussion we had about how much the size of art can impact the viewer's reaction to it. I think, along with this being a fairly well known piece, the way it fills this large empty staircase adds impact.
I took this picture as we got to the end of the Art Institute. The huge window at the end of the hall and the windows that line the ceiling enhance the the great size and openness of this space. I'm not a huge fan of really modern architecture, but I thought this was captivating.
More Art...
I took this picture at the Second Floor Gallery in the Fine Arts Building. Every second Friday of each month they display a collection of a variety of artists' works.
I took this picture in the Chicago Cultural Center, where there were many works of art from artists I had never seen before. This piece was done by Frances A. Cox and is called Florida Morning.
The piece by Nadine Meyers Staitin, "Freefall," was in the Chicago Cultural Center. I really like the chaos of it, but also the dark contour-type lines that seem to define it.
I really liked this sculpture because it kind of reminded me of a distorted building. Even though it's cold and gray, it stuck out among the normal geometric buildings with its interesting shape.
I thought this was a great example of modern art. We saw this in Millenium Park right before boarding the buses. There were these two giant screens of faces facing each other, as if these digital people were reacting to one another. It was very interesting.
