Just another day

When in Chicago you gotta visit the Art Institute. According to my sketchbooks I was first there in 1966. It is such a good thing to emerse yourself in the art of the ages. Here I stand next to a Jackson Polluck and I didn't realize that I had on matching colors. Seeing a photograph of a Polluck is hardly like seeing the real thing. First there is the scale. Some big paintings lose their grandness when reproduced in a smaller size. It's like seeing the opening scene of "Patton" with George Scott in front of the flag on a small television--you miss the impact. And then there is texture. Since they were painted (?) horizontal there is a tremendous build-up of paint. Indeed it is almost sculptural.I like his paintings and liked the movie. It was tragic the way he lost control of his bicycle and broke the bottles of beer.