Jul 19

Jul 19 The Return

Architecture, Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Street, Things to Do in Chicago, Urban Landscapes

The world is a hot place these days, both temperature-wise and metaphorically. As of late, I have been focused on the metaphorical heat—assault-weapons bans vs. gun-owner rights, and pro-choice vs. pro-life. Time to cool things down a bit despite the soaring temperatures and humidity that Chicago is currently experiencing.

Oh, happy day: The Art Institute of Chicago’s two lions returned today from a deep cleaning; it had been 21 years since the last major touchup. Since June 14, the two have been in Forest Park at the Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, leaving the two plinths flanking the Michigan Avenue entrance to the Art Institute lion-free for just over a month.

According to Rachel Sabino, the Art Institute’s Director of Objects and Textile Conservation, the lions also received a protective wax coating, which presumably makes removing gang tags and other scribbles much easier. Additionally, conservators inspected both beasts for corrosion. Overall, the lions came back with a much darker hue than the light turquoise patina they had before their Forest Park excursion.

It wasn’t only the lions that were returned to their place of honor. Each plinth contains a time capsule, which were both put back inside. One dates to 2001; the other is much older.

To be honest, I have never loved the lions, particularly as a photographer. To my artistic sensibilities, they are large, somewhat undifferentiated massive blobs, often in shadow, and exhibit few details. Moreover, the position of the heads requires the camera to point upward, losing much of the facial detail. The upward tilt also produces perspective distortion, resulting in keystoning. But for parents with iPhones and little kids . . . well, it’s a memory.

The Art Institute announced a noon re-installation, but I was suspicious, so I arrived on the scene at 11:20 AM. The flatbed truck and the crane were already in place, with the sidewalk in front of the Art Institute closed to both the north and south. Fortunately, both lions were still on the truck. i did feel bad for the Fox32 news crew when it arrived at 11:45 AM. The cameraman missed the first lion gently being guided into place. I wondered whether he would be able to set up in time for the second lion’s hoisting.

I didn’t hear anyone ask Sabino the obvious question, so I did the honors: How much does each lion weigh? Turns out the two lions are not identical. The one to the north comes in at about 4,200 pounds, while the one to the south weighs about 4,800 pounds. Sabino was not entirely sure of the exact numbers, but she told me the difference was roughly 500 pounds. She confirmed that the lions do not have names. One person asked me whether one was male and the other was female. Ah, well they both have manes and other anatomical clues, so that rules out a female—although we shouldn’t rule out gender fluidity.

I was surprised by how quickly the process went—about 12 or so minutes for each lion, beginning with the wrapping of a girdle of large yellow straps around the lion’s body, and ending with touch down on the plinth. The lion to the south stuck the landing perfectly—no visible adjustments were necessary. The lion to the north required a second attempt, but the first effort was pretty much on target—9.5 on the Olympic scale.

Given Chicago’s current crime wave, I wondered whether the lions are bolted down. Sabino told me they are not; there are brackets on the base that hold them in place. Given that the lions are located along Michigan Avenue, I would hope that the police would notice a thief with a large crane before either lion left its plinth.

As for weather-related concerns: Chicago may be the Windy City, with the Hawk whipping through the Loop’s canyons, but I have to believe that even a tornado wouldn’t shift their positions, let alone rip either lion from its perch.

The lions first came to what became the Art Institute during the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, but were molded in plaster; they were not displayed in front of the building, which housed the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions. According to their creator, Edward Kemey, the lion that now sits on the north end of the building is “on the prowl,” and the one to the south stands “in an attitude of defiance.”

Florence Lathrop Page paid Kemey to cast the lions in bronze so that she could donate them to the Art Institute. Not surprisingly given the Chicago’s history, she was Marshall Field’s sister-in-law and an early Art Institute benefactor. They first appeared outside the building in May of 1894.

Kemey showed some of his early work in 1878 at the Paris Salon. Ironically, the Salon (best described as conservative and old school) largely rejected the works of the Impressionists, forcing those in the vanguard to display their works at the Salons des Refusés, held periodically during the 1870s and ‘80s. Despite the thumbs down from the Paris establishment, Art Institute patrons purchased the works of Caillebotte, Cassatt, Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley, which now make up the museum’s world-renowned collection. For example, in 1891, Bertha Honoré Palmer purchased 20 Monets.

So when the lions first appeared on Michigan Avenue in 1894, they stood ready to guard the collection of France’s “trash” that would be assembled over the next several decades through donations by the Ryersons, Palmers, and other wealthy Chicagoans. By then, however, opinions in Paris had changed, and the Salon was no longer state sponsored; it was in the process of being replaced by a dealer-centric system.

So, if you can stand the heat, head down to Michigan Avenue this weekend for a photo-op with two of the City’s oldest friends. Afterwards, you can walk through the Art Institute’s major Cézanne retrospective, or take a quick “dip” in the Crown Fountain just one-block to the north.

BTW, I once again managed to end up in a news photo—Chicago Tribune (third photograph in the photo essay). it is an action shot.

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