The last day of the Impressionism, Fashin, & Modernity exhibit in Chicago is tomorrow so if you are in the area, please go and see this exceptional exhibit. My husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary in Chicago and wanted to see this exhibit.  In my first post, Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity Exhibition: Perfection!  I touched on some of my favorites and wanted to come back to show more photos because I couldn’t just pick a specific part of the exhibit.

This dress is exquisite and the shawl is gorgeous. Do you notice that the focus is not on the lady but what she’s wearing?  Her face is looking away.

Installation shot of Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Installation shot of Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The dress and shawl on the mannequin below is the interpretation of what she’s wearing in the portrait above. It is so similar that I had to really take a second look to make sure I read that it was not the original pieces.

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Installation shot of Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Edgar Degas interpretation of a lady in a hat shop. I have always seen Degas’s ballet portraits; but this is a first for me to see him show a lady either getting ready to try on a hat or has just taken the hat off.  The portrait is done in pastels and shows blurred flowers and ribbons on the hats.

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Edgar Degas. Millinery Shop, 1879/86. The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection.

Edouard Manet was a sharp dresser and it was interesting to see him portrayed in a top hat carrying a walking stick. I guess I thought he would of been portrayed with a paint brush.

Henri Fantin-Latour. Édouard Manet, 1867. The Art Institute of Chicago, Stickney Fund.

Henri Fantin-Latour. Édouard Manet, 1867. The Art Institute of Chicago, Stickney Fund.

This portrait by Édouard Manet below shows a women reading a book in the park. It looks like a park or a Forest?  What do you think?

The brush work lets the viewer peak in to her world. What is she reading? The gloves on her hands or the ruffle around her neck. Is it cold?

Édouard Manet. Woman Reading (La Lecture de l’illustré), 1879/80. The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection.

Édouard Manet. Woman Reading (La Lecture de l’illustré), 1879/80. The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection.

The exhibition has so much to see.

This is another portrait by Édouard Manet that shows a lady surrounded with a background of fans behind her. She is laying on her couch or bed so effortlessly. It almost seems like she’s saying with her eyes, “Édouard I have been in this pose for hours, are we close to being finished?” What do you think she’s saying?

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Édouard Manet. Lady with Fans (Portrait of Nina de Callias), 1873. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Rouart, RF 2850.

In the next post I will be focusing on portraits of Renoir, Seurat and some of my favorite dresses from the Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity Exhibition.

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* All photos courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.