The Getty Museum

I went to the Getty Museum December of last year with my boyfriend. I decided I'd use this experience because it wasn't too far away, so it's still rather fresh, and also because I haven't been able to go back since then. We made sure to go past 5pm because parking is free, which also gives enough time to go around the galleries, although perhaps not all of them or as thoroughly as I wanted to. Needless to say, we saw almost everything and at a good pace.
I would like to state how beautiful the museum looks, especially the view that you get while riding the tram up to the center of the museum, as well as when you go out to the balconies or the graden they have. The sites are beautiful.

One of my favorite exhibits was that of Irving Penn. He was a renounced photographer of the 20th century, and the exhibit that I saw at the Getty was called Small Trades, which were photographs that were taken in London, Paris, and New York around early 1950's, and that captured the different professions including the attires that were worn at the time. The reason for my liking of the exhibition is simply because as a 21st century young adult, I have never been exposed to the old professions - I say "old professions" but it's incredible that they were around not even 70 years ago, and now some of those no longer exist, or have been taken over by machines/computers. I believe some of the professions that I remember seeing that are no longer practiced or nearly extinction are: the milkman, the road sweeper, charwomen, the seamstress fitter, and the chimney man.

I'm sure there are a lot more that I've missed, but those are a few. Isn't it amazing how we don't really have those professions in practice anymore? Nowadays, those professions have been taken over by machines, computers, or corporations. For example, we don't have the milkman going around providing his community with milk, now everyone goes to the grocery store. Or how about the seamstress fitter? Everyone gets their clothes at Target, JC Penny, Macy's, etc. unless it's a real important occasion like a wedding or a Quinceanera.

This was by far my most favorite exhibition in the Getty.
Among other things that we saw that night, was the making of a Bronze Sculpture, where they had examples and brief descriptions of the the whole process starting with modeling, casting, and the finishing touches. It was quite interesting. We also visited the other pavilions with various other exhibitions that mainly contained paintings from various centuries. Personally, I found the Reinassence and Baroque exhibitions a little bit redundant and I found myself worn out after an hour or so of seeing almost the same subject, and what subject am I talking about? Well mainly Christianity and Greek Mythology. Yes, perhaps some people will be very displeased if they read what I'm saying, but I don't particularly get awed by the same repetition of subject for centuries. Couldn't they paint something more interesting? Didn't anything else inspired their lives and paintings but religion and mythology? Well given the time period these paintings were created and the culture of Western Europe at the time - probably not. But still...

Anyway, I did find a painting in one of the exhibits that were based on a later time period that completely fascinated me, and I'm not sure exactly why. It was Manet's Rue Mosnier a Parisian painter who created this work of art in 1878.



Upon analyzing this painting, I find myself drawn to the veteran - the man to the bottom-left that is missing a leg, who is ironically walking on the same streets he probably helped save, whose flags wave furiously with pride - but at what cost? That poor veteran lost his leg in the name of patriotism and who knows what psychological conflicts he might have gone through or is going through. I think it's a powerful painting that speaks out for those who have experienced war at a personal level.

I believe this will conclude my Museum Entry. It was a rather interesting experience, and I would like to go back, especially since I'm pretty sure they have a Manuscript exhibition now, and I remember I wanted to go see that when I last went there.