Where is my plein air kit?

I have been informed that today, February 10th, is Umbrella Day.

My immediate mental flash was of Gustave Caillebotte's painting Paris Street, a Rainy Day.  

If you are in Chicago take the time to see Paris Street, a Rainy Day at The Art Institute of Chicago to feel the full visual impact of an artwork that size.  The museum is famous for its collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day
is an oil on canvas (83-1/2 x 108-3/4 inches)
 The Art Institute of Chicago.

And, of course, there is the painting, Umbrellas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  The National Gallery of London featured it as the painting of the month on their website in February 2007. 

"Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world." - Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Thanks to the Impressionists we have the popularity of painting en plein air and of course, there is an umbrella in a truly useful plein air kit.

So, why study art?  Perhaps, so there will be less unpleasant things in the world and more beauty.