Hog butcher for the world/Tool Maker/Stacker of Wheat/Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;/Stormy, husky,brawling,/City of the Big Shoulders…. From “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
Since 2006, Chicago has been the City of Big Legs as well as Big Shoulders, in this controversial sculpture by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. The installation consists of 106 headless, armless, and backless figures, which appear to be milling blindly around Grant Park. Some people love them. I find them disturbing. Each figure is eleven feet tall and weighs nearly a ton.
Anish Kepoor’s Cloud Gate, in Millennium Park, is more popular.
I enjoy the Field Museum. The view of downtown and Lake Michigan from the museum’s steps are themselves enough of a reason to visit. That’s a First Nations totem pole in the center of the photograph.
Other beautiful totem poles soar toward the ceiling in the main lobby.
The African elephants posed near the museum’s front entrance are splendid, appearing to trumpet over the heads of passersby.
Although I’m not especially fond of fish, I spent several hours one evening mesmerized at the Shedd Aquarium, just a short walk from the Field. I had no camera with me other than the one in my iPhone, but it did a respectable job.
And then there’s the Art Institute: the perfect place to spend any sort of day.
On a recent visit, I admired this graceful head of a Tang Dynasty sculpture of a seated Bodhisatva.
And the beloved Chagall windows, reinstalled in 2010 after a five-year absence for cleaning and restoration…
And the Impressionist paintings, including this one by Van Gogh….
Out in the street, the impromptu art is also interesting. I wonder what this cautionary message is about.
And the view of Lake Michigan meeting the horizon soothes the eye. This photo was taken from the 38th floor of the Four Seasons, on a mild September morning.
Despite it’s having the most Poles within its boundaries than anywhere on earth besides Warsaw; it’s China Town, Little Italy, Little Germany, Little India and the list goes on – Chicago nonetheless is a quintessential American city. I think because of its diverse population – that mixes some, but not a lot. To visit Chicago beyond its showcases is to come face to face with who we are. Turns out we’re everybody! How I love to go on an international grocery shopping spree when I go home!