Art Institute of Chicago

I purchased a Chicago City Pass and, yesterday, visited the Art Institute of Chicago. I absolutely loved it.

I was constantly asking myself, what kind of art do I like? What's my favourite piece? Do I want something to blow my mind or do I want to see something very beautiful? But what is the notion of beauty? Do I think art is meant to inform, educate, or provoke? Is it meant to be universal and stand the test of time or, is a pile candy in a corner art, too? Can a weird sculpture be considered art? And how much should art be worth? 

An art museum is really a motivating space that forces one to think about art, expression, mediums, techniques, and ideas. Modern art especially gets the most extreme reactions: from "My kid could draw that" to "This blob is a piece of genius." Modern art and its new mediums are stretching the very notions of what is art. 

I had a great time moving through the various galleries: Early American Folk Art, the Impressionists, Surrealism, early modern European Art, American Modern Art, Architecture and so on. 

I didn't really like Steve McQueen's film clips. I can't tell you how much I didn't like them. 

And I really cracked up when I saw the "Treasures from the British Museum" for the Gods and Glamour exhibition. "Treasures?" More like looted treasures. Doesn't it remind you that museum can be such controversial spaces, too?