Event One

Event One: The Getty Museum

For my first event, I attended the Getty with my friends Jenny, Robin, and Chanelle. I had never been to a museum in LA before but I had a feeling it would be pretty cool.  The tram ride up to the top of the hill was fun and a nice view.

This is the view from the tram going up to the Getty

Once we got to the top, we explored all the diverse collections of art that the museum had to offer. The museum consisted of four pavilions that were arranged in chronological order, each exhibiting of works from their respective time period. It was so interesting to see art from different cultures and watch how they changed over time.

After exploring all of the exhibits, I found the sculptures and decorative arts exhibits to be the most fascinating. One of the signs in the exhibit was very thought-provoking, it said: “There is only one way for the moderns to become great and perhaps unequaled: by imitating the ancients.” This made me think of the topics from the class lectures and how they build off one another. The continuous innovation in the fields of art and science have allowed for modern day scholars to learn from the past and create for the future.

The first sculpture that caught my eye was the statue of Venus because I have always had an interest in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology. This sculpture of Venus was crafted by a British Neoclassical sculptor named Joseph Nollekens in the 17^th century. I think it is so cool how he drew ideas from ancient Roman mythology and created a different version of it centuries later.

This is the sculpture of Venus

Another sculpture that I liked from this exhibit was the Python Killing a Gnu by Antoine-Louis Bayre. He is known for his scientific observation of animals, often in violent struggle, which he observed at a zoo in Paris. I never would have considered this to be scientific before I learned about the connection between art and science. The sculptures in this exhibit must have incorporated a lot of math and science to get such concise works of art.

This is a python killing a Gnu

In addition to the art and sculptures, the Getty also has beautiful landscaping and views of LA.

Overall, this was a great experience and I am very happy that I had the opportunity to venture out and spend some time at The Getty. The employees were all very helpful and provided us with background information on the art and sculptures.