Today we immersed ourselves in art. A brisk 1 1/2 mile walk in the rain brought us to the lions guarding the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago. I spent much time here in high school and have visited a few times since. It has grown tremendously and cannot be seen in one day, but we did our best.

Our first stop was a special exhibit of drawings and sketches that have not been shown previously. The Institute has been amassing this collection for 25 years and now is showing off their finds.

One of the most interesting aspects of this collection is that it features several drawings that are studies for finished paintings already in their collection. This enables the viewer to see steps in the artist’s development of the finished painting.

Then we hit the Impressionist, European, and American collections. Of course there were too many favorites to include them all. Here are a few.

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Of course we had to take time for rest and reflection.

Lest my Ukulele Seattle colleagues think music was forgotten this day. These reminded me of US. The Juan Gris pairs the instrument with a wine glass. How perfect! Picasso’s Old Guitarist could be me bending over my ukulele.

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Our day ended with a great Italian dinner at Magianno’s Little Italy around the corner from our hotel.