Diamond Jubilee: iconic spots, Chicago
- Matthew P G
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
After visiting the cold and cloudy lake, I returned through the park to the Art Institute. I hoped to pop inside for a few photos of the lobby, but it was strictly on a time-entry ticket basis due to COVID. No worries - Brian and I had visited years before. I love the collection - especially the French Impressionists.
Not far from the Art Institute I stumbled across the start of Route 66. One of my brother's long-held dreams is to travel its length. My image of that famous drive was at odds with the surroundings of downtown Chicago. However, it did have to start somewhere... And, I recalled the bits I had seen recently of in Springfield (aligning with my perceptions of that famous route).
I continued walking and discovered the new (to me) Crown Fountain. Although I found the installation fascinating, I also looked upon it dubiously. Technology never ages well. It was difficult for the city even to maintain the Buckingham Fountain over the years and all it does is squirt water. How was the Crown Fountain going to age? I appreciated its temporary impact anyway.
As short distance away lies Chicago's latest iconic sculpture. In the case of the "Bean" (Cloud Gate), I believed it could withstand the ages - if the shiny surface ages well. I loved seeing the city reflected differently from all angles on its mirror-bending surface. Prior to arrival, I had seen it in many photos (and was prepared NOT to like it). Surprisingly, I ended up loving Chicago's newest sculpture. The Bean was way cool!
Finally, I had to end my rainy walkabout.
The Spearman
Born in Croatia and trained in Vienna, Paris and Kosovo, Ivan Mestrovic’s sculptural style was a hybrid of conservative and modern tendencies, reflecting early twentieth-century movements of art nouveau, expressionism and art deco. While in Chicago in 1925 for an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, he was commissioned by the B.F. Ferguson fund to create two monumental mounted American Indians at the Michigan Avenue entrance of Grant Park at what is now Ida B. Wells Drive. Impressive for their heroic scale and bristling energy, the sculptures have been criticized for their romanticized and reductive images of American Indians.
Magdalene
Dessa Kirk’s Magdalene is located on the small triangular landscape at the intersection of Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue. Kirk created the sculpture specifically for this site. In the springtime, tulips line the female figure’s feet, and in the summertime the sculpture becomes part of the surrounding garden, as vines and flowers fill up the skirt of her dress.
At Congress Plaza, along Michigan Avenue directly in line with Buckingham Fountain are two extremely compelling sculptures. Heading back toward the hotel for lunch, I came across them. I thought they were radically different - a native American warrior in battle and an earth mother rising from the earth festooned in live flowers. I liked them, but wondered about the choice of their placement. Not much thought was given to it.
July 2021
By chance, I found a Vietnamese place that served up incredibly tasty (and original) pho. After the strangely cold and rainy walk (for mid-summer), I needed something to warm up. Finding good food easily during COVID was a challenge - getting pho seemed an extraordinary stroke of luck. It was one of the best meals of the whole trip.
I retrieved my bag and set out again for the train station. Next stop (and totally unplanned), Milwaukee.
Comments