casimir pulaski day

Despite Tuesday's snow dump, spring feels closer and closer.

Casimir Pulaski Day was this past Monday, the first Monday in March.  Growing up in Ohio, I had never heard of Casimir Pulaski until sometime in grad school when I was into Sufjan Stevens' song, "Casimir Pulaski Day."  Little did I know then that I would eventually move to Illinois and observe this holiday.  So, what to do on my day off from work?  I decided to put my educator's pass to good use at the Art Institute.  Chicago's renowned art museum offers Illinois teachers free admission with the educator's pass, which saves me $23 every time I visit.  Since the Picasso exhibit arrived recently, I spent most of my time there, and swung by the Chagall windows on my way out.  Photography is permitted in almost all of the museum as long as you don't use the flash.    

The best part of the Picasso exhibit for me was actually at its entrance.  A maquette (scale model) of Picasso's sculpture from Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, and its backdrop, a photo from its unveiling in 1967.  Over the speakers, an audio recording from the unveiling played -- Chicago journalism legend Studs Terkel interviewing bystanders and getting their impressions of the new work of modern art.

Another highlight of the exhibit for me was discovering that Picasso illustrated a book by Balzac (Le chef d'oeuvre inconnu, or, The Unknown Masterpiece).  The original book was displayed underneath glass (above), and there was a tablet version you could swipe through to see the various illustrations (below).

Believe it or not, I saw the Chagall windows in the cathedral in Reims, France, before seeing these Chicago ones.  They are incredible.  The photo below is straight out of camera, and converting it to black and white picked up more reflections and silhouettes.

A couple more Chicago street scenes near the Art Institute: