Art for the Last Day of the Year

I closed up 2010 with a bit of culture. My dad (baldy at the left) brother (not seen), and sister in law (at the right) went to the Art Institute of Chicago.   (That's me in the center, by the way.)

We saw many of my favorite works by some of my favorite artists.  I enjoyed just about everything (though I do think that some of the the European Decorative Arts exhibit starts to look like a display from the Renaissance Bed Bath and Beyond. 

My dad seemed increasingly frustrated as we moved through the modern art exhibits.  "I can't believe they'd waste space on this," was a frequent comment. He didn't like Pollock or DeKooning.  He didn't like Balthus or Magritte. 

He did ask about the Chagall and Dali paintings - since he knows that those are among my favorites.  He was trying, I suppose.  I tired to help by telling him things I knew about the various artists and the techniques they used and he seemed a little more interested... but not much. "A four year old could paint that," he muttered.

Ah well... what can you do?

I enjoyed it. My brother enjoyed it.  My sister in law would have enjoyed it except for the headache she developed through the afternoon. 

You can see me carrying my sketch pad in the photo above.  Here's a video my brother filmed over my shoulder as I sketched a sculpture by Henry Moore.