On a crusade to persuade us that “GRAY IS BEAUTIFUL!” Larry Chait serves up shots of cold and gray Chicago morns and other times of day that he would like us to embrace with the same passion that we greet a sunny spring dawn. Chait is most convincing when he directs his lens to Lake Michigan in all seasons and conditions, as long as the clouds are thick and the fog is heavy. Chait’s banner image is the most abstract, a study of the lake taken in the depths of the just departed bitter winter that shows off the subtlety and nuance of his approach: a mass of snow-flecked billowing frozen floes of ice seem to take on a volcanic energy through their endlessly beguiling textures and tones. Pictorialism rules, with more than a touch of gray. (Michael Weinstein)
Through May 1 at Old Town Art Center, 1763 N. North Park Ave.
