Art Institute of Chicago

While in Chicago, I had to take a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum houses a vast collection of Impressionism. I think that viewing Monet and Degas and Post-Impressionist works by Van Gogh and Gauguin at a young age subconsciously instilled in me my love and fascination for color. Shannon, my best friend from high school and fellow AP art student, accompanied me to the museum. It was an extremely rainy day, so after we checked our umbrellas we headed immediately to the American wing to get our John Singer Sargent fix. To our surprise and delight, they had many recent Sargent acquisitions, two of which we had never even seen before in books! I took many a blurry snapshot of my favorite paintings, and I'd love to share a few with you. John Singer Sargent, Madame Paul Escudier (Louise Lefevre), 1882, oil on canvas sargent_window We were surprised to see this Sargent, which has a very delicately painted face. It's smooth and subtlety blended.....there still is hope for me to loosen up!! Because of the tight, detailed face and dark, moody room, this was not instantly recognizable as a Sargent.

Edouard Vuillard, Landscape: Window Overlooking the Woods, 1899, oil on canvas vuillard_landscape Edouard Vuillard, Annette Roussel with a Broken Chair, c. 1900, oil on cardboard vuillard_bedroom I've always responded to the very large landscape painting by Vuillard, but I finally snapped a shot of it. If I were to ever create textiles, I think this would be one of my initial sources of inpiration for pattern, texture, and color. Vuillard's small room painting reminds me of the pattern, texture, and color in Malcolm Liepke's work.

Antonio Mancini, Resting, c. 1887, oil on canvas mancini_bed LOVE LOVE LOVE the marks that make up this beautiful Mancini painting!

John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Charles Gifford Dyer (Mary Anthony), 1880, oil on canvas sargent_brody Couldn't resist including this painting by Sargent. I suppose Adrien Brody dressed as a woman and posed for Sargent back in 1880.