Special Edition Blog Post #6: Chicago Art Institute Tour, Guided by Professor Nathan Peck, November 5, 2016

On November 5, we toured the Art Institute with the express purpose of learning 

to give our own tour. By focusing on key works that interested us, we moved from 

room to room, chronologically working our way through the three major periods of art; 

classical, modern, and contemporary.

Professor Peck had some fun and unique ways of processing the differences 

between the movements. One key example was to focus on toenails & bowls of fruit. 

In classical art, the goal of the artist was to demonstrate their mastery of craft, 

so details like toenails, even though unnecessary for transmitting the message of the piece, 

were included in minute detail. Bowls of fruit were meticulously copied to demonstrate 

the photo-realistic capacity of the artist.

Modern art, spawned after the invention of the camera, changed the intention of the 

artist to communicating not skill, but technique. Different methods of painting & sculpting 

emerged with a focus on the materials and methods used produced pieces that saw little need 

for details like toenails. The modern bowls of fruit created by Picasso, Monet and other masters 

were vibrant expressions of bowls of fruit, challenging traditional ways of thinking, 

and inspiring the viewer to see the world differently.

In contemporary art, the idea takes precedence, with technique and skill serving only 

the purpose of communicating an idea. The artist invites you to see the world through their eyes,

using mixed mediums, techniques ranging from advanced craftsmanship to passionate 

expressions of emotion worked out through paint thrown or dropped on canvas. 

Bowls of fruit may be actual bowls of rotting fruit, and a sculpture made out of 

toenails is entirely likely... if it conveys an idea.

Here are pictures from our tour.

In the entry staircase to the museum.

"Monochromapeck" Nathan begins the tour.

Welcome.

Look! A bowl of fruit.

These are beautiful in the same room. Love the rust colored walls.

Peck feeding a horse.

That is also a train thing.

Sarah Surreal 

My favorite picture of the day. Super weird framing.

My favorite piece of the day was "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991. 

"Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991

Created by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, this pile of candy, wrapped in colorful cellophane 

was a touching tribute to "Ross," a lover who died of AIDS. 

While the dimensions vary with each installation, the ideal weight of the candy is 

Ross' weight of 175 lbs. Viewers are invited to eat the candy, participating in an unusual communion,

and diminishing the pile of candy to demonstrate the wasting nature of Ross' demise. 

The museum is instructed to at intervals of their own choosing, 

bring the pile back up to ideal weight.

I chose a lime candy, and it was a truly moving experience.

While this wasn't my first time to the Art Institute, it was the first of many trips to the museum since I've joined the art program at Saint Xavier. Sarah and I bought a family membership, and will be putting it to good use. If you are visiting Chicago, hit me up, and we'll pay a visit together! 

My treat.