Loop: LaSalle Canyon [Bald Eagles..]

When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius;
lift up thy head!.. [William Blake]..

Bald Eagle, the symbol of America..
Seen here on three buildings at the foot of LaSalle Street canyon..
- Continental Illinois Bank Bldg. / Illinois Merchant Bank Bldg.
- The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
- The Chicago Board of Trade Building
Bald eagles, in their glory, with hooked bills, rounded wings, and sharp talons.. perched on the buildings that are symbols of finance and trade, through the economic upheavals that unfettered capitalism begets.. Capitalism, another symbol of America.. Somehow birds-of-prey and capitalism have too much in common.. Stopping this thought trail here.. I move on to the rooks of Rookery ..




Rookery, the comes from the previous building on this site, an old city hall which was a favorite roosting spot of pigeons.
Architects: Burnham & Root
Completed: 1888

Chicago Loop / CBOT / Ceres - by John Bradley Storrs

Ceres - by John Storrs atop the 45-story CBOT building

Ceres - by John Bradley Storrs

1930

Description: Aluminium, 32-foot tall

Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and the patron saint of corn traders, in honor of the commodities exchange in the Chicago Board of Trade building.

Location: Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) building

The Chicago Board of Trade commissioned the statue of Ceres by John Storrs for the buildings in 1930.

Chicago Loop / Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Fountain (1999)

Chicago Board of Trade Fountain

Location: 141 W. Jackson Boulevard

The Board of Trade building's Art Deco doors inspired the design of the fountain.

Constructed as part of 1999 Public Fountain Program.

Chicago Loop / CBOT bldg. Sculptural Reliefs - By Alvin Meyer

CBOT bldg. Sculptural Reliefs - by Alvin Meyer

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Building

Architects: Holabird & Root

Sculptural Reliefs: Alvin Meyer

Completed: 1930

The CBOT building was designated a Chicago Landmark on May 4, 1977

The CBOT building is also a National Historic Landmark

Chicago Loop / CBOT / Agriculture and Industry - Sculptor Unknown

Industry - Artist Unknown

Agriculture and Industry sculptures - Unkown Artist

1885-1929 /  2005 - current

Description: Granite / 12 foot high / Five-&-half ton weight..

Location: The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Bldg. plaza

Joan Miro's "Chicago" - Another Look..

We have all heard "Art for art's sake"..
And it makes sense!
Art should be independent of all claptrap - should stand alone, and appeal to the artistic sense of eye and ear, without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it, as devotion, pity, love, patriotism, and the like..
- James McNeill Whistler

But enjoying art is always much more pleasurable when we dig deeper..
Knowing about the artists body of work, their style, compare and contrast with other styles, how it fits a particular period of time..

When I saw Joan Miro's sculpture Chicago, click here.. I didn't really care much.. Till I saw his paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago and found them very amusing, very absorbing.. which made me dig further into his style and influences..
Now there's a new found appreciation..









Joan Miro [1893-1983] was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramist. If we need some kind of "ism" to define his body of work, it's mostly Surrealism and sometimes Cubism and Expressionism.. combined with the playfulness and whimsical nature of a child..

Simplification is not always desirable. however, that's exactly what I'm doing here.. Wide ranging influences on his works can be broken down to..
- bright colors of the Fauves
- multiple point-of-view of Cubism
- flat two-dimensional quality of Catalan folk art
- dreamlike quality of Surrealism..
As is said.."the whole is greater than the sum of its parts".. These various influences have been internalized, so to produce something very original and very evocative!

Joan Miro used automated drawing, used by other surrealists painters like Salvador Dali and Andre Breton. In automatic drawing, the hand is allowed to move randomly across the paper and to a large extent is free of rational control. Hence the drawing produced may be attributed in part to the subconscious and may reveal something of the psyche, which would otherwise be repressed.

“Throughout the time in which I am working on a canvas I can feel how I am beginning to love it, with that love which is born of slow comprehension.”
- Joan Miro

RELATED LINKS:
For Joan Miro's sculpture "Chicago"..
# The Art Institute of Chicago...

The Art Institute of Chicago

I am starting a series on the Art Institute of Chicago. Although it has sculptures and paintings, I don't think it belongs to the "public art" blog, so if it interests you, check out my other blog.. Chicago - Architecture & Cityscape.. click here..

Sculptures here..
- The Solitude of Soul - By Lorado Taft [1914]
- Dancer and Gazellas - By Paul Manship [1916]

AIC [Abraham Lincoln - by Daniel Chester French]

Abraham Lincoln - by Daniel Chester French 

Modeled: 1916 / Cast After: 1916

Bronze

This bronze sculpture is a reduced version of the full-size statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., which French worked with architect Henry Bacon.

 Location: Art Institute of Chicago:

 Gallery of American Art Lower Level: Sculpture Court, Gallery 171.

AIC: Abraham Lincoln [By Daniel Chester French]

Abraham Lincoln
By Daniel Chester French [1850-1931]
Modeled:1912, cast after 1912
Bronze..
Location: Art Institute of Chicago, Galleries of American Art
Rice Building, Lower Level, Gallery 171..

The marker reads..
In 1909, the Lincoln Centennial Memorial Association of Nebraska commissioned Daniel Chester French to create monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln for the state capital grounds. The association ran out of funds towards the end of the project and in lieu of a final payment, they permitted French to sell bronze casts of the original statues, of which at least 11 were made at New York's Roman Bronze Works. With his head tilted downward, Lincoln is depicted in a moment of deep thought. French explained that he had "Purposely tried to represent Lincoln bearing the burden and perplexities and problems of the Great War"..

Also check out the other sculpture of ..
Abraham Lincoln.. by Daniel Chester French.. click here..

For more on.. [click on the link]..
The Art Institute of Chicago...

Chicago Loop / Christ of the Loop - by Arvid Strauss

Christ of the Loop 

Christ of the Loop - by Arvid Strauss

Location: 110 West Madison St.

St. Peter's Church operated by the Franciscans