In my previous post I mentioned how one day in The Louvre I realized that I had been in a specific spot, in one of the galleries devoted to temporary exhibitions, several times before. It was an interesting realization, at first curious, with a strange physical sensation, a feeling, something akin to memories of watching a compass finding true north. On subsequent visits to those galleries, seeing new exhibitions, I’d think back to that first realization and how that sensation affected me. Initially it was somewhat confusing, unsettling, with thoughts related to repeated patterns and habits, but then, I realized, this is one of the things I do, and how returning to that spot (and adjacent galleries) had so enriched my life and art practice. The photograph linked to this post is another example of revisiting a place. This grand staircase at The Art Institute of Chicago, is a pathway to enrichment, a place of transition leading up or down, to various galleries in the different wings of the museum. Usually the stairs are filled with people on their way somewhere, but occasionally I’ve found a short wait will allow a few moments to capture this flooding of natural light. This location is another of those spaces I find myself fortunate to pass through, in this amazing light, with each visit to this great museum. In my photography portfolio there is 2009 photograph of the staircase, as well as a 2010 photograph, a wall of light, in the contemporary galleries designed by Renzo Piano.
