Sunday was spent meeting with friends and family, doing yet more walking, and visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. And then walking some more.
Millennium Park
I had heard that this was a remarkable museum, and I was not disappointed in the least. We saw the current special exhibition, Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre, which was fabulous. It covered the history of the Bohemian movement in the Montmartre area outside of Paris from about 1890 to 1905, detailing the transition of a working-class neighborhood into a center of counter-cultural artistic expression. It was fascinating, both in the variety of artists represented — Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Van Gogh — and in the parallels to the formation and decline of similar fringe art communities. It was enlightening, and a little sad, too. The circumstances which lead to the creation of a vital artistic center seem to inevitably lead to its destruction. However, that’s something best discussed at length another time.
Today, sadly, is a rainy day, so I suspect enjoyment of the Chicago architecture boat tour will be limited. On the other hand, with the out bands of another storm due to hit Miami tonight, perhaps it’s just getting me warmed up for my return home.
