One of the best two-for-one deals around awaits visitors at the Art Institute of Chicago. There, in the museum's Regenstein Hall and Galleries, you can experience the life's work of two of America's greatest painters - Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer - all for the price of one ticket.

If you hurry, you can make the deal even sweeter by taking advantage of the Art Institute's free February offer. Every day this month, admission to the museum costs nothing and tickets to the Homer and Hopper shows, which opened to the public on Saturday, are half price.

That means that $10 ($5 for kids) will not only allow you to see 50 oil paintings and 30 watercolors spanning 70 years of Edward Hopper's iconic career, but also 130 works by Winslow Homer, who was acknowledged in his time as America's most original and independent watercolorist.

Together, these special exhibits make a full afternoon of entertainment and enlightenment - an experience well worth the 80 mile trip from Racine. And, if you go on a weekend, Metra Rail will do the driving and parking for you, for a total cost of $5 per person. The Metra Rail train line, which runs from Kenosha to downtown Chicago (within walking distance of the Art Institute), offers its special $5 ride-all-weekend fair year round.

America and beyond

No matter how you get there, your visit to the Art Institute will not only give you an intimate look at the lives and work of these two painters, but will take you on a historic journey to locales ranging from Caribbean islands to New York City, Quebec, England's fishing villages and more. "Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light," for instance, is organized according to the different sites where the self-taught artist worked through the years of his life (1836-1910). As you travel along with Homer from place to place, you can get a feel for how he explored and mastered the challenging medium of watercolor, while expressing his love of nature and mankind's relationship to it.

While Hopper spent time working in some of the same locales as Homer, his paintings present a very different view of those places during his lifetime (1882-1967). Best known for his lonely depiction of late-night diners in "Nighthawks," Hopper was a realist whose aim in painting "has always been the most exact transcription possible of my most intimate impressions of nature."

His interpretations of the world around him - often depicted voyeuristically through windows - show how people can be isolated even in busy, urban areas. At the same time, the artist - who began his career as a commercial illustrator - managed to find and express the beauty in commonplace scenes.

Personal viewpoint

Along with the many works of art, each exhibit offers items that provide insight into the person behind the paintings. The Homer exhibit includes a display of watercolor boxes used by the artist, as well as a copy of "The Laws of Contrast of Colour." This book, given to Homer by his brother Charles in 1860, served as his Bible of color theory.

"Homer was one of the first artists in his generation to apply the pioneering color theories of M. E. Chevreul to his art," said Martha Tedeschi, curator of "Watercolors by Winslow Homer." "By doing so he demonstrated to American artists that an understanding of the relationships between colors and of how the eye perceives color under different lighting conditions can make a work more convincing, make physical sensations more tangible. This is one of the reasons why a sense of place, temperature, and weather in Homer's watercolors always seems to ring true. By his example, color and light became critical elements for the generation of artists who followed him, including Edward Hopper."

A quote from Homer printed above the display expresses his thoughts on the subject: "You can't get along without a knowledge of the principles and rules governing the influence of one color upon another," it says. "A mechanic might as well try to get along without tools."

Hopper's personality is explored in a film, narrated by actor Steve Martin, that is shown continuously in a screening room within the exhibit of Hopper's work. It seems appropriate that we view a film to learn more about this artist whose work was not only influenced by his passion for cinema and theater, but also had an influence on movies both in his lifetime and today.

Examples of Hopper's notebooks, in which he sketched his paintings and recorded details of how and when each work was created and delivered to his dealer, are also on display. Fans of "Nighthawks" can see his original sketches and writings about this piece, which has been in the Art Institute's collection since the year it was painted, 1942.

These are but a few examples of the many interesting facets of these companion exhibits, which will remain on display at the AIC through May 10. When asked why the museum chose to pair these two artists together, Tedeschi explained that they both represent a distinct moment in the birth of Modernism in America.

"In his watercolors, Homer popularized the aesthetic of the sketch, showing that beautiful and profound images could be rendered in a free, spontaneous style that would heighten their sense of immediacy. He also demonstrated that watercolors - once an amateur's medium - could be a viable form of expression for professional artists," she said. "Hopper, who worked at some of the same sites where Homer had painted, shows us how the next generation adopted color, light and even watercolor to create a truly modern art for America."

If You Go

WHAT: "Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light" and "Edward Hopper" exhibitions.

WHERE: The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago (just south of Millennium Park).

WHEN: Now through May 10. Museum hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 10 am. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets to these shows are issued for a specific entry date and time.

COST: Admission to the museum is free, and tickets for the Homer/Hopper show are only $10, every day in February. Throughout the rest of the show's run, tickets (which include museum admission as well as admission to the exhibit) are $20 adults, $17 seniors and students, $8 children (ages 6-11). Children ages 5 and under are always free.

INFO: Tickets can be ordered online at http//www.artic.edu/aic or by phone at (312) 930-4040. Directions, parking information and more are available on Art Institute Web site.

Special events

The Art Institute is offering a series of special events in conjunction with the Homer/Hopper exhibits. A complete calendar listing is available on the AIC web site, http://www.artic.edu/aic

Here are few to get you started:

* Voices: "Watercolors by Winslow Homer ‑ The Color of Light," 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., Saturday (February 23), in Fullerton Hall. Professional actors, complemented by art images and live or recorded music, reveal little-known experiences that inspired great works of art. A self-guided gallery walk follows the performance, which is free.

* "After Dark: Edward Hopper," 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 29. This evening offers visitors a chance to see the Art Institute in a different light. Live entertainment, as well as DJ music, will be featured along with guided tours of "Edward Hopper," light appetizers and cash bar. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance by calling (312) 575-8000 or at the door.

* Exhibition Overview: "Edward Hopper," noon to 1 p.m. March 4, in Fullerton Hall. This program will discuss Hopper's life and work, which has been heralded as a part of the very grain and texture of the American experience. Admission to the program is free.

* Exhibition Overview: "Watercolors by Winslow Homer - The Color of Light," noon to 1 p.m., March 8, in Price Auditorium. Come learn more about this celebrated American painter and how he discovered the secrets of the watercolor medium over a period of more than three decades.