Friday, March 29, 2013

The Getty Villa

It was 9 AM when we headed out of Santa Monica, with Santa Barbara as our next stop.  I was bemoaning the onslaught of noisy, smelly traffic all around me when I spied the 'other' Getty Museum on the Pacific Coast Highway--The Getty Villa.
Would they ask about the cat?...Would I tell the truth?...Who knows--they didn't ask.



I cheerfully paid the $15 parking fee, kissed Sigh Me on the top of the head and headed for the entrance.  BTW, there is no entrance fee except for parking.



Just a block off the highway and up the hill I discovered this quiet and peaceful oasis.



The architecture is quite beautiful and there are wonderful views of the ocean to the south and gardens all around.


Nary a sound of horns or sirens--only birds and fountains...



There was no objection to me taking pictures outside in the gardens but photography was not allowed inside.



I thought the outside was more interesting anyway....

 
Beautiful polished marble floors were everywhere, both inside and outside.  Getty built this place, not to live in but to display his artwork.



When I win the lottery I plan to build something similar to display my spectacular Pez collection and my extensive campaign button memorabilia.  Hmm, maybe I'll add a room for the kid's art when they were in grade school....


Meanwhile..Many of the statues  had arresting eyes constructed with a white granite-like stone and I thought those eyes distracted from the beauty of the statues...
   

And that cute little lady standing behind one of the statues thought the same thing.  We spent a 1/2 hour talking about Greek and Roman culture and fashions--she is a school teacher from Canada and she had some great suggestions for me when I get to Vancouver--then she went on her way. Alas, I did not learn her name or address but I certainly enjoyed our meeting.



Back to those ghastly eyes.  Why did the artists do that...one of those statues in my yard would give me nightmares.

 
I did manage to steal a few inside photos but I turned off the flash so as not to alert the guards--


...or startle the Gods.



The Greek and Roman Garb of the day was so flowing, flattering and comfortable looking--how did we evolve to bras and girdles, stockings and stiletto shoes...
Tennis shoes and gym clothes may be comfortable but they aren't flattering for most of us.



There are so many nude Greek statues that I wonder if 1/2 the people didn't run around bare-bottomed.
  
Probably, just the good looking ones....  

Look! I found the ancestor of the Quartzsite bookseller!
  
 
It was time to get back on the road and into the traffic but this had been a good respite. 

1 comment:

  1. I think those statues had too much coffee! Did they why they made the eyes that way?

    ReplyDelete