Nov 21, 2017 Back up the hill at The Getty
A couple of Mondays ago, my wife and I accompanied our daughter’s fourth-grade class to the Getty Center. You don’t get to look at much art during a field trip to the museum; you’re too busy ensuring everyone stays with the group, washes hands after using the restroom, and doesn’t touch the art or even gallery walls. The kids did participate in an in-depth conversation about The Abduction of Proserpine by Alessandro Allori, though, and the marble blocks with fossilized leaves and sea life were practically made for tactile learners.
Of course, going to the Getty is more than just skimming art–it’s about clearing one’s head from everyday clutter and appreciating beauty. The slow shuttle up the hill is part of that. And on a pleasant afternoon when the museum is closed to the public and only a handful of classrooms are visiting, the architecture and views can be as inspiring as the top-shelf art from around the world. Not to diminish the masterful design by Richard Meier, who famously camped on the hilltop before putting pencil to paper and helped kick-start the City of Angels’ structural renaissance along with Gehry’s Disney Hall, but it recalls traditional Chinese gardens that strategically place people and frame space as much as showcase nature. The city, like the art, seems otherworldly.
Using parking passes that we received for volunteering–admission is free but it costs 15 bucks for vehicles to enter the lot–we returned with extended family less than a week later to check out some of the visiting art shows. Happy Birthday, Mr. Hockney includes the Los Angeles-based British expat’s self-portraiture, which ranges from pencils and photography to paints and iPad creations, and should inspire anyone to keep learning and creating. Photography in Argentina, 1850–2010: Contradiction and Continuity, part of Pacific Standard Time’s celebration of Latino art in the Americas, is an historic overview and powerful showcase of gallery work that makes us viewers both wonder about the status of our passports and reconsider photos we see in the news every day.
Who knew that field trips are as vital for adults as they are for kids? Or even the field trip videos? See you back up the hill.
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