Chicago November 14 - 17, 2006

The Chicago skyline seen from a window at the
Field Museum

Chicago - the city and museums

On a stormy day we walked down Walton Street around the corner from Lakeside Drive, past George Jensen and onto Michigan Avenue.


We have turned the corner of Michigan Avenue and are looking towards the south.	In front of the Art Institute, 111 South Michigan Avenue, with its bold lions as gate keepers

"Silk Road Chicago Events - Silk Road Chicago is a yearlong, citywide celebration inspired by the art and culture of the historic Silk Road extending from June 2006 to June 2007."

The special exhibit of this season is Silk Road and it's written in big letters on the front steps leading up to the museum. The exchibit of paintings is of course there as usual.


John is in front of a Wassily Kandinsky fauvist painting	Siv is admiring a painting by Claude Monet, one of the many studies of the Gare Saint-Lazare that he has done. The painting on the right might be by Auguste Renoir.


Shiva in the Shiva ring, the circle of flames, which he is often surrounded by.	Multi-armed Shiva and Parvati, Mrs Shiva

Siv contemplating a gorgeous Buddha	Ganesh, son of Shiva and Parvati, the elephant god. Story about the origin of Ganesh at 'Parvati's son' (scroll down).

We wander on to the South American collection.


A beautiful head of a native South American	Native American pottery and a beautiful gold ornament

More South American gold and pottery ornaments	A beautiful vest of sorts in pure gold in front of the showcase seen above

Moving over to the section for African art, these are from the Congo and from Mali


Headdresses from Mali, mid 19th - early 20th century	Democratic Republic of Congo, late 19th - early 20th century, wood and copper alloy


African face masks, Democratic Republic of Congo	More face masks - Democratic Republic of Congo

Mali, Late 19th early 20th century, wood and metal	Democratic Republic of Congo, maternity figure, mid - late 19th century

We move on from Africa to Egypt and the Mediterranean

Model boat, Egypt - the Middle Kingdom,
and wall fragment from the tomb of Amenemhet, first king of the 12th dynasty, and his wife Hemet.


Siv and Horus, the bird god we were going to see so much of in Egypt, among others the large original version of this miniature at the Edfou temple.	Vase from the Aegean Sea area

Art déco display of numerous pieces of furniture


Desk and chair (probably Frank Lloyd Wright) and wall painting	Wendell Castle (b 1932) - sofa (1967) in oak

Charles Eames - lounge chair and ottoman;
rosewood, leather and aluminum


Back to India and a love scene with Shiva and Parvati (supposedly)	Hindu goddess

We are on our way back from the Art Institute on South Michigan Avenue towards Lakeshore Drive and John and Penny's home.


Art déco and modern high-rises on South Michigan Aveneue	"Immediately after World War II, Chicago reestablished itself as a world capital of Modern architecture."

Michigan Avenue close to the Art Institute, typical Chicago art deco high-rises	Siv looking at the autumn colored leaves

The ice skating rink on the outskirts of the Millennium Park	Cloud Gate, provocative art work unveiled in July 2004 - behind the ice skating rink

Close-up of Cloud Gate, nicknamed 'The Bean' in Chicago's Millenium Park	The Jay Pritzker Pavilion "the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States"

One of the many examples of modern-style Chicago skyscrapers	Back at John's and Penny's apartment building on the lake

We are back 'home' on Lakeshore Drive.


Mossy (aka Jim) and John are comfortable in the living room	Lake Michigan was whipped up to a frenzy in the 'windy city', seen from the dining room window

The next day we went to the Field Museum, the wonderful Chicago Museum of Natural History on the southern lakefront.

In the back of the huge entrance hall of the museum, you meet Sue, "the largest, most complete best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex."


We first visit the section on Egypt - here are some Egyptian coffins

We go on to the department of Native North American art and culture


Beautiful Native American handicraft

A powerful bison on display in a showcase outside the large Native American room	Siv in front of a bison hide inside the Native American dwelling

A beautifully treated and decorated bison hide in the same large room	Another view of the reconstructed interior of the dwelling from above

Outside the large room now, we go on to view masks and totem poles


Native American ceremonial masks	House with totem poles

Impressive totem poles	An evil spirit?

For those interested in evolution, there is an excellent exhibit at the Field Museum


"Evolution is one of science's best-supported theories ... for an explanation to be a valid scientific theory, it has to be supported by evidence."	The geologic time scale - from amoebas to fish to dinosaurs to hominids (homo erectus) - the first appeared some eight million years ago


A good-size dinosaur with a much smaller head than Sue	Daspletosaurus, a form of dinosaur. Notice the tiny front 'feet'.

From dinosaur to mammoth in impressive displays

More of the display on the same wall - the flat antlers of a moose-like animal. Also notice the paintings of mammoths in the background.

Back 'home' again


The childhood friends all look happy - Jim and the two Johns	The last morning at John's and Penny's home - Sandy, Penny and Siv

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