Download Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago
Having a favorite artwork can be a bit frustrating. Either it's on the other side of the world hanging on the wall of a museum that's almost impossible to visit, or it isn't even on display. The only "palliative" within reach is digital copies, photos and scanning processes that, from a certain viewpoint, preserve these works. If you visit the official Art Institute of Chicago page, you'll discover you can download paintings from its collection, and if the license allows it, in high-resolution versions.
The photo you're seeing above, reinterpreted and parodied to death, is none other than American Gothic by Grant Wood. If you've ever wondered where the original is, you'll have to go to 111 South Michigan Avenue and visit the Art Institute of Chicago, a fundamental stop for anyone privileged enough to travel to the Windy City. Now, if the Institute is a bit out of your budget, don't worry. The latest version of the official site places a good part of its collection in a dedicated section, and the truth is that nothing prevents you from downloading paintings in different resolutions.
Of course, all this material can serve as a source of inspiration. In fact, the Institute has a good example of it in Figure with Meat by Francis Bacon, who based himself on Velázquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X. Due to licensing and copyright in general, most works have a medium-low resolution, enough to place them as wallpaper on a smartphone, but if you need pixel density you'll have to look elsewhere. The exceptions are those works classified under CC0 license. On the Terrace (Two Sisters) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of them, and its digital copy presents a healthy 3,000 x 2,417 pixels.
Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Dalí, Cézanne, Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol… the art overdose is gigantic. And it's not all about paintings: there are also objects and figurines that are definitely worth studying more closely. It doesn't matter if you're a digital artist, prefer a more "analog" approach, or just want to enjoy these works, the Art Institute of Chicago page has what you're looking for.
