Exploring Seattle and Seattle Art Museum

#seattle #seattleartmuseum #Pikeplacemarket

For our final day in the city. we decided to visit the art gallery and the sea front towards the market area.
After the art gallery in Chicago, it was interesting to see what this art gallery had to offer. After paying to go in, the first room we came across was showing an exhibition of animal sculptures, an interesting theme and super artwork.

Moving on, it was interesting to find that all the rooms were based on one theme and how this was interpreted. In this room the paintings were all based on local scenes, past and present. 

As we explored, we came across the Living Room, which was set out like in a home with artwork that fitted into the ambience of the room. An interesting concept for a gallery.

After displays of local cityscapes, the next gallery featured local landscapes as a contrast.

In the next gallery, we came across the first selection of paintings from more well known artists such as Monet. An interesting change from the earlier paintings.

We made our way down to the lower gallery, where there was an exhibition by two artists who worked in monochrome. The large imposing sculptures were interesting.

The final paintings on this floor  continued the themes based on local art and American art.

On the lower floor, the gallery was starting to develop a cafe area as well as an exhibition area for local artists to sell their work. An idea many UK galleries could easily incorporate to encourage artists. 
An enjoyable experience in what was a stunning art gallery and a complete contrast with the Chicago Art Institute with much of the artwork done by local artists on local themes. 

Moving on, we walked along the sea front, stopping to see the area that had been put aside for fans to watch the World Cup. This area would have been very busy a few days later, when the USA played in Seattle.
Next, we wandered through the Pike Street Market which was a busy area with craft and food stalls, although not enough seating for people who wanted to eat their food outside. The weather was much cooler here and the dark skies threatened rain. It is amazing how the weather can change the tone and atmosphere of a place. A busy last day and tiring as we found the walk back to our hotel heavy going due the steep roads which led upwards from the sea front.

Summing up Seattle isn't easy, the galleries were excellent but parts of the town, especially near the hotel, seemed to be rather run down and there were lots of homeless people sleeping rough. This was a complete contrast to Chicago where the city seemed clean and looked after.