Photo Essay

PORTRAIT OF ILLINOIS

A photo essay on the State Library's art collection

by Linda Classen Anderson

Elgin

Barbara Pihos, Elgin Snow in the Woods 1990

Artists communicate the aesthetic values of place. And within the walls of the Illinois State Library in Springfield, some of this state's artists found inspiration in the vastness of the Illinois prairie and the panorama of Midwest skies. The library's 33 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs by Illinois artists celebrate big city sprawl and the folksy allure of the village.
The Portrait of Illinois collection is a visual

Mt. Carroll

Michael Johnson, Mt. Carroll 3 Generations1987

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metaphor of diversity:
small-town business owners and rural farmers, corporate bosses and city dwellers, expansive plains and towering buildings. And an ever-changing climate accentuates the people and places: an icy storm pelting city streets or a silent snowfall at the edge of woods.

The display was made possible by the state's Art-In- Architecture Program, established in 1977 to preserve Illinois' cultural

Chicago

David Miceli, Chicago Ravenswood6110 1990

Glen Ellyn

Photographs courtesy of the

Art-In-Architecture Program, Illinois Capital Development Board

Nicholas W. Bridge Jr., Glen Ellyn
HW0040290
1990

heritage. The public art program sets aside 0.5 percent of the cost of new and renovated state buildings to support and promote Illinois artists. Under that program, artists Harold Gregor, James Winn and James D. Butler were selected by a review committee to create major works for the library. The rest of the library's collection was selected through competition.
Additional photographs of the collection appear on the following pages.

Rockford

Tom Heflin, Rockford Earth Calligraphy 1990

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Art IN THE MAKING

by Linda Classen Anderson

Photographs courtesy of the Art-In-Architecture Program

Bloomington

Harold Gregor, Bloomington Developmental sequence of
Illinois Spring Morning

How many of us have driven through Illinois' landscape without reflecting upon it?
Thankfully, Illinois' artists find their inspiration close to home and manage to capture the spirit of the Midwest we sometimes take for granted. Illinois Spring Morning is one of two enormous landscapes created by Bloomington artist Harold Gregor for the Illinois State Library. The richness of the state has been recreated on a canvas stretching nine feet high and 14 feet wide.
It is one of the largest pieces of artwork in the library. The complexity of the process was recorded by Gregor in a series of photographs. First, Gregor created a grid for the painting. After sketching in the scene, he created an "edge" with oils. He then applied acrylic paints for the foliage. That was followed by the first layer of oils.
The finished painting greets visitors entering the library from the west, and hangs in close proximity to Illinois Autumn Evening.
These landscapes, illustrating the spectacular vastness of the prairie, are two of Gregor's largest works.

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Art in the making

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