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Our MSO invited
members of the staff of CogSci along
with family members and friends to take
a day trip to the
J.Paul Getty Museum
in Los Angeles, CA.
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On September, 15th, 1998,
we boarded a
UCSD transportation services
van.
The group of 8 left the Peterson Hall turnaround
about 9:00 AM.
We drove up highway 5 and took the new toll road,
highway 73, near Capistrano.
It was on some of the steep hills of the "73" that
our driver was nicknamed "turbo".
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The 73 merges into the 405 near Seal Beach.
We followed the 405 north, making as much use
of the car pool lane as possible.
The turnoff to the museum is a few minutes
north of the LAX airport.
We arrived about 11:00 a few minutes earlier
than our
reservation time.
After a brief wait, we boarded the tram up
to the Getty complex.
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Most of the group (minus KH who skillfully
set up this shot) poses at the tram stop at the top.
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The group then broke into 2's and 3's and headed
off to explore.
To the left of the stairs is a subtle,
trickling waterfall,
which we only noticed on our way out.
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Near the front entrance, the shutterbug JM
poses KH to capture the scale of the architecture.
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As impressive as the front was, entering the
museum was grander.
What you see from the outside is simply the
"entrance", a building in itself!
Beyond (below and to the right of the circular
staircase) were the doors the lead out into
a football sized courtyard, with fountains,
surrounded by 5 irregulary placed pavilions.
Four were named, North, East, South, West, though
their locations were symbolic of their names.
The Exibiition Pavilion was the fifth.
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Down some stairs behind the West and South Pavilions
was a cactus garden, with downtown LA in the distance.
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From the cactus garden, we
look back up the stairs toward the West Pavilion
(on the left) and the South Pavilion (on the right).
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Looking up at the southwest side of the Exhibition Pavilion
from the level of the Central Garden.
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We are looking back toward the Getty Research Institute for the
History of Art and the Humanities. [the pavillions are out of sight on the
right] The 3 tall, dark, statue looking things are actually sculptures made
with steel "rebar" that are encouraging bouganvilla to grow into a
flowering fountains as they mature.
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This a partial view of the Central Garden.
The photo doesn't capture it, words won't either.
But it was way cool.
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Seated outside the front entrance, the tired,
cultured, and awed
group awaits "turbo" to drive them home.
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Comments from the Participants
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JM:
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Ok, I liked the fountains and the central garden and the portraits of the
Russian princess and Mr. Christie (of Christie's auction house) and the
sisters Bonaparte, "Irises", and the French marquetry furniture by Boulle
or whatever his name was, the big blue bed, the bronzes of Penelope being
spirited away by Paris, the sculpture of Three Goddesses, and the photos by
Walker Evans,
especially the "Subway" and "Dress" series, and the
Making of the Architecture
with the models, drawings and photos of the
construction.
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MS:
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I was awed by the center's beautiful architecture, the
serenity of the central garden, and the views from each of the pavillion
terraces. I'm looking forward to a return visit!
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MW:
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I was most impressed by the architecture,
the views of the surrounding LA hills,
and I loved the Central Garden. I think we managed
a cursory glimpse of all the open exhibit areas.
My favorites were some of the portraits, a couple
of the landscapes--2 were so real they looked like
photographs! There was a still-life of a bowl
of fruit where the grapes just jumped off the page.
Finally, I recommend the
"Ancient Beauties"
exhibit
in the Exhibition Pavillion; the discussion about
verifying the age and authenticity of old statues,
pottery, etc., was very interesting.
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KF:
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I really enjoyed the building and landscaping.
The structure is a work of art itself, while
being amazingly functional. I also enjoyed
the Antiquities as Evidence exhibit. It was
a nice overview of the complexities of archaeology,
art history, and art restoration/conservation.
Most of all, I liked the illuminated manuscripts.
The precise lettering and the detail of the illustrations
impressed me -- so much careful, time-consuming work.
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KO:
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The tram ride up to the top of the mountain is a very affecting
segue into the eerily futuristic world of the Getty museum. I
really enjoyed walking around and seeing the fossils (mostly of
leaves) embedded in the travertine marble (some 80,000 yrs. old,
from Tivoli, Italy). The views are incredible. You can see the famous
Spelling compound up on a hill if you look to the west. (You'll know which
one it
is when you see it.) I like the art at this museum more
than the art at the original Getty museum (Malibu).
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