Wednesday, August 5, 2009 B

"Weary But Satisfied"
3:32pm

I am weary, but satisfied. I didn't have the stamina to do all of the Getty Center, but I saw all I came to see. Julia wasn't unhappy that I tired early.

The lay-out of the Getty Center is marvelous. The gardens, all of it is a work of art in itself. A couple of engaging Calder sculptures greeted us, with a view of Los Angeles behind them. The red one invited photos besides it:


Julia and Spiny Top, Curly Bottom
Alexander Calder, American, 1898-1976
Painted Steel, 1963


I posed, too!


Garden view from higher up...

After seeing the garden, we opted to see paintings, and made a nice round of some splendidly designed galleries, wall colors so well suited for best picture display. Among the paintings I remember now is a Cezanne of a young woman leaning on a sofa, a Renoir of a man with charismatic eyes that held my gaze and one by an artist I'd never heard of, Aved, if I remember right.


Young Italian Woman at a Table
Paul Cézanne, French, 1839-1906
Oil on canvas, about 1895-1900

(From the info card)
"The young woman's pensive pose is traditional in the history of art to convey a somber, thoughtful mood. Here it is combined with a haunting, mask-like face, giving the figure a psychological depth unusual in Cézanne's work. Cézanne reformulated the art of the past, however, with his bold brushwork, reinterpretation of space, and radical use of color. His new style would prove to be extremely influential on the next generation of artists, especially Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse."


Portrait of Albert Cahen d'Anvers
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French, 1841-1919
Oil on canvas, 1881

(From the info card)
"Renoir's portraits depart from the Impressionist style, which employs quickly rendered brushstrokes to suggest fleeting light effects (such as La Promenade, nearby). Here solid forms, vibrant colors, and rich patterns capture the likeness and spirit of the fashionable sitter. Albert Cahen d'Anvers (1846-1903), a composer best known for light opera, enjoyed access to the elite social circles of his day. Renoir portrayed him at Wargemont, the country home of Paul Bérard, a Parisian diplomat who championed the artist."


Portrait of Marc de Villiers, Secrétaire du Roi
Jacques-André-Joseph Aved, French, 1702-1766
Oil on canvas, 1747

(From the info card)
"As a portraitist, Aved was concerned with capturing the character of his sitters, not just their physical appearance. Here Marc de Villers (1671-1762), one of the secretaries to King Louis XV, is depicted with parliamentary and state papers on his desk to demonstrate his status. In contrast to more formal official portraits, however, Villiers, in casual evening dress, is shown in his personal study looking up from a volume of Homer's Iliad, indicating that he is also a gentleman scholar."


Face detail...

Aved captured the very life of a middle-aged man, he seemed almost animated behind the canvas.

Those three were most memorable. Then we went onwards to the European bronzes. (This is the same exhibit I saw at the Met.) The Getty had them displayed so elegantly, on pillars with complementary paintings that were part of the Getty's own holdings. (I did not even try to sneak a photo, but here's a link to it, which includes a slideshow.)

After that, it was time for lunch. A simple tuna salad sandwich and a green salad (compared to yesterday's fancy salad and fancy chocolate cake), but the view and fresh breeze were lovely. I felt as though I were in one of those Alma Tadema paintings, on a covered porch on a Greek seaport, which the view of the ocean in the distance.

Because we were still weary from yesterday's walking, we called it quits then. I might have liked to have seen "Foundry to Finish: the Making of a Bronze Sculpture", but I didn't really care to see "Temptation and Salvation: the Psalm of King David" (though I'm sure it was very best examples of that sort of thing).


Tired Julia!

7:17pm


People are loudly enjoying the (hotel) pool!

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