Links I Love • March 2020

“We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.” - Tom Hanks

• We are doing our part to “flatten the curve” via social distancing. Here are some links to help you pass the time: great online tours to help you get out virtually:

  • Milwaukee County Zoo Offers Livestream of Animals

  • The Paris Opéra is Broadcasting All of Its Performances Online Free of Charge

  • These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (The Musée d’Orsay is my favorite!)

  • Virtual Visits to Paris Monuments (via Google Arts and Culture)

  • Paris Museums Put 100,000 Images Online for Unrestricted Public Use

• Betty White Reads Harry the Dirty Dog

• My Favorite Rendition of Oh Danny Boy (I’m about as Irish as the Swedish Chef, but I still enjoy this every St. Patrick’s Day.)

• Crowd Goes Bonkers As A Champion Beagle Was Hilariously Distracted At The Dog Show (So cute and be sure to pay attention to the commentator!)

• George Clooney Set to Direct The Boys in the Boat (I loved this book!)

• Notre-Dame: Paris Cathedral Restoration Work Continues

• For reference when I am able to return to Paris:

  • The 8 Literary Spots in Paris Every Bibliophile Must Visit (I have visited all except one, but I intend to return to all of them!)

  • 77 Little Differences You Notice About Life in France

  • Paris Food Guide 2020

  • How to Have a 5-Star Hotel Experience in Paris Without Booking a Room

  • Passage Couvert Paris – the Secret World of Passages in Paris (I have a few favorites, but still quite a few to discover.)

  • 17 Non-Touristy Things to Bring Back from Paris

  • World's Oldest Department Store Feels Like the Streets of Paris (I love le Bon Marché)

  • Harper’s Bazaar First in Fashion (This exhibit is supposed to run through July. I really hope to see it!)

  • Paris’s Top Art Exhibitions in 2020

Capture 52 - Week 12: Macro

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.” – Buddha

#capture52 #capture52week12 #macro #notmacrobutprettyclose #pretty #close #daisy

Capture 52 - Week 11: NQR

“Life without ballet would be pointless.”

Week 11: Not Quite Right #capture52 #capture52week11 #nqr #notquiteright #balletslippers #ballet #repetto

Saturday Afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago

“Impressionism means taking inspiration directly from nature, trusting your senses rather than what you think you know.” — Michael McClure

Half-priced train tickets and the final week of this awesome Impressionism exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago compelled me to spend Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Starting with Caillebotte’s rainy Paris street and ending with Seurat’s Sunday in the park, it was my own Ferris Bueller moment. If only I hadn’t forgotten about the Chagall windows — next time!

These photos represent my favorites in the collection. I love this floral close-up, but I can’t remember which painting it was. Can anyone help me out?

Paris Street; Rainy Day (Gustave Caillebotte, 1877)

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat, 1884-1886). Click here for my close-ups à la Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Edgar Degas, 1879 - 1881)

Three Studies of a Dancer in Fourth Position (Edgar Degas, 1879-1880). Click here for more of my Degas dancer photos.

Water Lilies (Claude Monet, 1906)

Click here for more of my photos of the Monets at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Two Sisters | On the Terrace (Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881).

Click here for my of my Renoir photos at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Women at Her Toilette (Berthe Morisot, 1875-1880)

I love Morisot’s diagonal signature (and taking photos of artists’ signatures :)

Ballet Dancers (Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, 1885-1886)

Eve (Auguste Rodin, 1881) + Water Lily Pond (Claude Monet, 1893)

Sleepy Nicolle (Mary Cassatt, 1900)

Bedroom in Arles (Vincent Van Gogh, 1888)

I went for the Impressionists, but was happily surprised to spot these Frank Lloyd Wright architectural elements.

Great socks!

Funny Ferris T-Shirts

Cheers to a great afternoon in Chicago!

Art Institute of Chicago - Impressionism: Monet

“Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” — Claude Monet

Is this a Monet? I can’t remember, but it’s my favorite photo of my day at the Art Institute.

Monet’s Water Lilies are my favorite. Next time I’m in Paris, I plan on visiting them in the Orangerie.

Art Institute of Chicago - Impressionism: Les Danseuses (Degas to Lautrec)

“People call me the painter of dancing girls. It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes.” - Edgar Degas

I only took ballet for a few years when I was a little girl, but I still love the grace, the costumes, the shoes…Perhaps that is why I always return to Repetto when I’m in Paris.

Evolution of Dance from Degas to Toulouse Lautrec