GETTY MUSEUM

Salve salve, galera... hoje (quinta-feira) foi o grande dia! Finalmente visitei (em tour da EF) o tão aguardado GETTY MUSEUM! Fui no ônibus da manhã e voltei no ônibus da tarde... deu pra dar uma bela olhada mas, claro, sobrou coisa pra ver numa segunda visita! E o negócio é o seguinte... como faz parte do trabalho da EF escrever um "essay" sobre a visita, como post do dia vou simplesmente copiar abaixo minha primeira versão, "draft", em inglês... não reparem nos erros, e nem em eventuais informações equivocadas... acabei de escrever!

"ESSAY - GETTY MUSEUM

As an architect and fan of arts, I can say that one of the most expected moments of this exchange travel was the day of visit to the famous Getty Museum, designed by renowned architect Richard Meier, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Conceived as a kind of “personal legacy” by the billionaire oil magnate and art collector J. Paul Getty, the museum has exceeded my expectations by presenting extensive collections of paintings ranging from the pre-Renaissance to the late 19th century, european sculpture and decorative arts, displayed in pavilions of an amazing architectural project that provides learning and also dialogue very well with Santa Monica Hills landscape. After all, it has also a creative landscape project that establishes excellent contrast to many buildings that compose the whole complex.

The architecture was the first great surprise. Even when we make a lot of research and see photos and more photos of a building, nothing is compared to the sensory experience of personally visiting the space. And on the first impression I had, from below, down there, opposed to the few images I had in my mind about the little research I conducted for the place: for me it was looking like a fortress atop a hill, perhaps a contemporary version of a medieval castle, or something. But after we get the "tram" from the parking and reach up there, the confusion is immediately over: passing through the entrance hall we access a large central courtyard which has wonderful views of each of the five pavilions that compose the museum. Unlike so many famous European older museums of history or art (the Louvre, the Prado, the National Art Gallery in London, the British, the Pergamon), the courtyard is all bare and open, and the pavilions, independent buildings (though connected), with many panoramic view points for all the great LA, from Downtown to the beach. Cafes and restaurants, together with water mirrors and lots of vegetation turn the ambient easy and playful, and the "Central Garden" invites the visitors to a moment of relaxing while they can also stare out of the metropolis. The materials of the building are predominantly stones (especially travertine marble), glass and metals. The feeling we get in that space is of freedom and comfort.

Designed by Robert Irwin, the Central Garden is one of the greatest features of that complex and crucial to reach the balance, through the contrast it establishes with the modernism of Richard Meier. Diversity of vegetation, whimsy and detail throughout all the space, which is free and loose, opposes to the thorough geometric shapes of buildings. Excellent dialogue. All the space is very beautiful to be seen from far and more comfortable if you want to see it from near. It is possible to spend a whole day there, “lost” in the middle of the maze of azaleas, lawn, creek, or simply pausing for distraction between visits for each one of the pavilions. The colorful variety of species also stands out amid the architectural materials, especially the stones.

However, we must not forget that the fundamental reason of existence of the entire complex is the art: it's a museum! And with a very complete collection! The upper floors of all pavilions has exhibitions of paintings. Starting at the North Pavilion, there are galleries of pre-Renaissance art, with paintings dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, which were mainly religious themes, which characters did not express emotion and there was no three-dimensionality, perspective. It stands out the painting "Madonna, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Paul" by Berbardo Daddi, 1330. Following the timeline in the order of pavilions, the next is the East Pavilion ("An Old Man in Military Costume" by Rembrandt, 1631), South Pacilion ("Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven" by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1756 ) and, finally, the West Pavilion (Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Monet, van Gogh). In this last one I´ve found more paintings that caught my attention. "Sunrise", 1873, Claude Monet (the father of Impressionism) is considered by many critics as a turning point and perhaps the first great impressionist painting in history. They say in this painting Monet was able to capture so perfectly the impression of a sunrise. "La Promenade", 1870, by Renoir, also is a great feature in the room. There is also "Lilies", which is the only example of van Gogh's display in the museum, painted in 1889, while hospitalized in St-Rémy, a year before his death. In the last room of the South Pavilion, which closes the circuit of the museum's paintings, a "Munch" finishes the tour like a crown: "Starry Night", 1893, which dialogues of Van Gogh's painting that has the same name, is a faithful representative of Expressionism . The entire collection of paintings from the museum is listed on the site itself - http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/exploreArt?typ=2033760.

 

 Finally, what occupies our mind after a visit to the Getty Museum is the desire to come back more often. Not only to see more closely the rooms that were left behind or who were seen in a hurry, but perhaps simply to enjoy more the space and architecture of each ambient, it doesn´t matter if it´s among the buildings, or among the gardens. The whole project is not only about the museum, but also includes a Research Institute and an Auditorium, and we must include also the "Getty Villa" (a kind of palace built in the ‘Greco-Roman” format dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome). So the hint is: it is worth devoting a whole day or more to this great cultural complex that has so much to teach. Architecture, landscape, panoramic views, painting, sculpture, decorative arts, objects of antiquity: there is abundant wealth for the various interests. Must see to believe!

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
HACKMAN, William; Greenberg, Mark – “Inside the Getty”, 1st Edition, J. Paul Getty Trust, 2008
FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO – “Guia Visual – Califórnia”, 7th Edition, Publifolha, 2009
Website - http://www.getty.edu "

PITACOS DA SEMANA: Ontem foi muito bom no Mickie Finzz... sei lá que que colocaram na minha água, só sei que DEU A LOUCA e eu resolvi subir ao palco pra cantar "Smooth" (Santana & Rob Thomas). E não é q a galera curtiu??? Até subiram ao palco dançarinas para abrilhantar minha performance! Com destaque pra 100% brazuca Marina, CLARO! E hoje, depois da visita ao museu, resolvi parar para conhecer a "Barnes & Noble Booksellers"... e olha que a loja é mesmo boa! Completa e bem organizada... bonita... da próxima vez vou tirar fotos internas. Um pouco cara, mas na sessão de promoções dá pra garimpar coisas muito boas! Acabei comprando "Catcher in the Rye" (pra eu poder "rabiscar" novo vocabulário) por US$ 7,00; um DVD do Paul McCartney "In Red Square" por US$ 6,50 e uma box de SEIS dvds do Monte Python por... por... US$ 9,99 (?????????)! Tudo novim... bizarro, né não??