In Chicago, or planning a visit before May? Then you must head to the Art Institute for a stellar double feature: Edward Hopper and Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light, presented as part of the museum’s American Perspectives: a yearlong celebration of American artistic vision. 

What can you, as a contemporary global citizen, learn from these two artists, the former a decidedly 20^th century, and the latter a definitely 19^th century, American?

For starters, both Hopper, art schooled, and Homer, self-taught, were very deliberate about what they included or omitted in every one of their drawing and paintings. Though they made many works look “simple,” every detail in every composition was intellectualized—a piece in a puzzle to be solved. Sound like any design geeks you know–anywhere?!

They understood the importance of lighting, shadow, texture, scale and perspective in the equation. They played with pigment, indoors and out.  They traveled around this country and abroad to keep their imaginations at full tilt. They explored every facet of the relationship between “man” and Nature. They often transformed the mundane to monumental. Lastly, they didn’t do what everybody else was doing.

Just a hint in case you were ever doubting your own iconoclasm.

Afterwards, as you wander the halls looking for the suits of armor (now tucked away somewhere in the basement during the massive remodeling), don’t leave! There’s much more to see, including an awesome exhibit of some 115 of Pop artist Ed Ruscha’s photographs (including many mid-century gas stations)

and Artist/ Author, Painter/Poet: Illustrated Books of Poetry.