Thoughts From The Art Institute Of Chicago | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Thoughts From The Art Institute Of Chicago

How Does Art Change Someone?

24
Thoughts From The Art Institute Of Chicago

I don't know about you, but I love going to art museums. There is just something about being surrounded by works of art that have been put together by the masters of the craft that just leaves you slightly breathless. But maybe that's just me, I don't know. This past week though I was able to have the opportunity to visit the Art Institute of Chicago museum for the first time. While I have been to Chicago plenty of times in my life and have visited most of the other museums in the city, this was the first time I'd been to an art museum in Chicago.

Walking into the building, which sits just off of the lakefront next to Millennium Park, I couldn't help but look up at the arches of the entrance from the modern wing. The high ceilings that gave you the feeling of something important being inside. That was the thing that struck me most about the museum right off the bat. How vast the building is and how much important art was held inside those walls. Standing in line was almost unbearable because I just wanted to rush off and look at everything.

Now obviously, one cannot look at everything in the Art Institute of Chicago in one day. There are three whole floors and a basement full of art to look at, and my dad and I only had maybe three hours to see what we could. So you have to pick and choose your battles as to which pieces are the most important to you for that day. It being my first time at the Art Institute, I picked the pieces from my favorite artists that I knew I could see, which meant that I started looking at the second floor in the American art from the 1900s to 1950. From the modern wing entrance, it was the most obvious place to get to the second floor, which had all the pieces I was really looking for.

We walked right into the wing and the first painting I notice out of the corner of my eye is Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. It's a recognizable painting with the three customers all sitting around the empty corner diner in a city late at night. It's a piece with so much depth despite showing so little of a story that it can take one's breath away. That is one of my favorite things about art that I really noticed at the Art Institute. Art has such a power to stop you in your tracks and force you to stare, to see and try and understand what is going on in the piece, or the message the artist is trying to send.

Art can impact people in so many different ways. You could find something different from looking at the same art piece I am. That's one of the things that makes art so wonderful and stood out to me in Chicago. I, of course, went with my dad and we definitely had different opinions on pieces, which is because we all have different backgrounds and different things that impact us. So something different will stand out to us in each piece because of our mindsets.

One of the other things I found so impactful while at the Art Institute was what it's like to see a piece you've looked at on a screen or in a book in person. My favorite art piece is displayed inside the Art Institute of Chicago, and up until a couple of weeks ago, I had only seen pictures or copies of it. But when I stood in front of Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Being able to get up close to the painting and see each little point that made up the whole was a feeling almost indescribable. To know the care and the innovation put into a painting of that size shows how much artists are dedicated to their craft. How much they care for a piece of art because they know it can do some good for the world. Or at the very least bring a smile to someone's face for a moment.

It's a feeling that moves you, which I felt there in the Impressionist wing, surrounded by the art of the greats. Because it wasn't just Georges Seurat's artwork that made such an impression on me like that. It was also Claude Monet's, Vincent Van Gogh's, William Glacken's, and Archibald John Motley Jr's works. The list could go on and on of the amazing artists who's work can tear right through your heart into your very soul. It's a feeling unlike any other that everyone should get to experience at least once in their lifetime.

I know that I am so much better as a person for having now seen these pieces and visited the Art Institute of Chicago. Art has a way of transforming us and making us realize how much there is in the world to explore. I went to different lands through these works of art, I learned things about myself I didn't realize before. Or they showed me something about myself I knew but was maybe too scared to admit before.

Everyone can't get to the Art Institute of Chicago, this is something I know. But I would encourage you to go out to your local art museum, or go to a local gallery with artwork from the local artists in your area. You never know what art piece may bring out something new in you. Art is a transformative experience that everyone deserves to have at some point in their life. I think that's the main thought I take away from visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. Everyone deserves to see art and learn something about themselves. I hope you get the chance to do such a thing soon.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

443801
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

17268
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

41952
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Types Of Students You Will Meet In College

You wish you could be #5, but you know you're probably a #6.

21484
cool group of lazy college students in class
StableDiffusion

There are thousands of universities around the world, and each school boasts its own traditions and slogans. Some schools pride themselves on sports, while others emphasize their research facilities. While there is a myriad of differences among each and every school, there will always these seven types of students in class.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Rhyme Without Reason Greek Life Function Ideas

When you have no ideas for what to wear to this date function

321907
A dog and a frog
Healthy Pets

I am going to a rhyme without reason date function and I have looked at so many different rhyming words and I figured there need to be a new list of words. At these functions, there are usually at least two rockers and boxers and an umpteenth amount of dogs and frogs. I have come up with a list of creative and unique ideas for these functions.

If you like what you see, get a shopping cart going with these costumes.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments