LUMA

Recently, I switched employers and now I work at Loyola University Chicago. One benefit of working at Loyola is that my office is right above its art museum, also known as LUMA (Loyola University Museum of Art). It's been great to step away for a moment and pop into the museum to see the current and permanent exhibitions.

Currently, the museum has an exhibition on the intricate tradition of Indonesian puppetry, as well as a display of whirligigs by a contemporary artist. The permanent collection of the museum, the Martin D'Arcy, S.J. Collection, features many outstanding medieval and Renaissance objects of Western religious art. 

I'm looking forward to seeing future exhibitions at the museum and learning more about its permanent collection.

Click on the photo above to see how this clock/automaton works!

Sainte-Chapelle

Sainte-Chappelle is the slightly lesser known cathedral in Paris, that is very close to Notre Dame, and it contains some of the best stained glass windows in Europe. It's said its architecture is supposed to mimic Christ's crown of thorns represented by the spindly spires and protruding gargoyles. Like most medieval churches, pilgrims would travel far-and-wide to visit various holy sites and reliquaries. Sainte-Chappelle used to contain the actual crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head when he was crucified. The high windows filled with colored glass seems almost impossible. The church was built at the height of Gothic architecture and exalts the many complex mysteries and religious stories that were everywhere during medieval life. It was a pleasure visiting such a remarkable site that I had learned about back in undergrad. 

Kerry James Marshall

Mastry by contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall was an outstanding solo exhibition that closed at the end of September. Marshall is a masterful and interesting painter and artist. He offers commentary on the privilege and history of formal museum exhibitions and gallery hangings. In a water-downed nutshell, he is described as reinterpreting western art history using African-American figures in traditional painting styles and position. However, his signature iconographic markers extend his art historical references into an artistic voice of his own. Some of Marshall's techniques include linear halos that evoke medieval saints and virgins, distorting illusion using trompe l'oeil, the positions of figures in specific foreground placement, as well as other techniques. Overall, I thought the exhibition was breathtaking and remarkable. I, of course, loved his use of glitter to hyperbolize certain emotions and ideas. Marshall is gaining more and more attention and due credit for his wonderful career and I hope he will continue to have a successful reception in the future.