Tickets are still available for the Art Institute of Chicago's highly acclaimed exhibition Manet and the Sea, which runs through January 19, 2004. With works by Manet, Monet, and the other Impressionists, the exhibition traces the history of marine painting and Manet's place within it.
Humanity's relationship with the sea is both a surrender to mystery and a struggle for mastery -- not unlike the dramatic and brilliant paintings of Edouard Manet (1832-1883). Manet spent time in his youth as a sailor, and the ever-changing play of wind, light, and boats across the water fascinated him throughout his life. Manet and the Sea presents for the first time a fascinating look at this little-known but significant aspect of the master's work and its place in the evolution of marine painting, also including artists ranging from the Dutch masters to Claude Monet and the other Impressionists. The Chicago Tribune called the exhibition is beautiful and exploratory.