CARISSA MARSH
A&E Editor
Tucked away within the hilly terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains, but still harboring a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, the Getty Villa’s lush site provides the perfect setting for a museum that focuses on the three civilizations that dominated the ancient Mediterranean world more than 1,000 years ago.
The Villa was designed by Boston-based Machado and Silvetti Associates, Inc., along with SPF:architects. Together, the architects blended contemporary design ideas and materials with architecture that harkens back to antiquity. The past truly shines through in the Villa in the decorative details, such as the floor patterns that mimic actual floors found in Roman houses.
The Villa’s gardens also transport visitors back in time and all the gardens are planted with a mix of Mediterranean and native plants.
Sophomore Audrey Lee, a public relations major and art minor, visited the Villa in April.
“What drew me there was the architecture more than the art,” she said. “The gardens were beautiful — the whole place was amazing.”
The Inner Peristyle, lined with 36 columns, features a narrow reflecting pool surrounded by bronze statues at it edges, as well as an overflowing white fountain at each corner of the garden.
The East Garden is home to a colorful fountain made of shells, marble pieces and theater masks. The water feature is a replica of an ancient fountain from a house in Pompeii there are plenty of benches for visitors to take a break around a small lily pool.
The Villa also boasts an herb garden filled with plants used in the ancient Mediterranean as well as a grape arbor walkway.
The Outer Peristyle is the Villa’s formal garden and a large 225-foot-long reflecting pool surrounded by bronze sculptures, trees, rose gardens and bushes primarily dominates the space. The walls of the Outer Peristyle feature three-dimensional fresco murals that mirror the columns of the walkway. Fresco is a technique where the artist applies the paint while the plaster is still wet.
“For people who cannot travel abroad, the Getty Villa offers visitors the ancient Mediterranean in L.A.,” said Villa spokeswoman Tracy Gilbert in an email.
Featuring art and artifacts of the Greeks, Romans and Etruscans, the Getty Villa houses an extensive collection of antiquities, totaling about 44,000 objects.
The focus exhibition on display is “Enduring Myth: The Tragedy of Hippolytos and Phaidra,” which began Aug. 24 and will run until Dec. 4.
Athenian playwright Euripides wrote the earliest complete version of the ancient myth to survive, and it was performed in 428 B.C. Titled “Hippolytos,” the story tells of Phaidra’s tragic love for her stepson Hippolytos, a desire that was placed in her heart by the manipulating goddess of love, Aphrodite.
The story examines universal themes like mortality and the passion and frailties of the human condition, all of which have caused many artists and writers to reinterpret the myth in various media, such as art, stage and film. The exhibit includes ancient vases, medieval manuscripts, rare books, early photographs, paintings and modern movie stills.
Carle Vernet, a 17th century French artist, captured the drama of the “Death of Hippolytos” in his black-and-white chalk drawing that shows Hippolytos about to be dragged to his demise after being thrown from his chariot.
Movie stills from the contemporary 1962 film “Phaedra,” starring Melina Mercouri and Anthony Perkins, is another example of how artists have found new ways to tell Euripides’ play.
Approximately 40 objects from antiquity to the present are featured to illustrate the story’s timelessness. The exhibit showcases work from the Getty’s own collection, as well as items on loan from other collections around the world.
Jean Paul Getty, born in 1892, was a businessman and philanthropist who followed his father’s footsteps by creating his own fortune out of the family oil business. In fact, in 1957, Fortune magazine named him the world’s richest person.
But besides possessing business savvy, Getty also pursued his passion for the arts, especially antiquities. He first began collecting in the 1930’s, and in 1954 he opened his Malibu ranch house to the public so others could enjoy his burgeoning collection.
In 1968, Getty started making his plans to build a Roman-style villa on the 64-acre oceanside site a reality. The building, which became the J. Paul Getty Museum from 1974 to 1997, was modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, a lavish country house at Herculaneum that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
The Villa was closed in 1997 for renovations and expansion, and reopened in January. But the site retained the core features J. Paul Getty originally had in mind.
The museum’s layout and design strives to link visitors to the past, even as visitors drive down the Roman style road paved with large, irregular stones. The Villa takes on the spirit and structure of an archaeological site, first with the entry pavilion, which leads visitors to the pathway to the museum. This path cuts into the hillside, offering guests an expansive view of the site from an overhead perspective, as if they are about to descend on an ancient building ready for excavation. Walls around the Villa follow a strata pattern, with horizontally layered materials including concrete, bronze, teak and travertine.
Once inside, visitors are led through a series of small galleries, arranged by theme, such as sports, religion, family, war and theater.
One gallery is the Temple of Herakles, which is dedicated to a monumental 850-pound statue called the Lansdowne Herakles. According to Gilbert, the marble statue was one of Mr. Getty’s favorite objects. The temple floor is modeled after one found in the Villa dei Papiri and is made up of alternating marble triangles of various colors, making for an elaborately decorative and breathtaking room.
Tickets to the Getty Villa can be hard to get, but the wait is worth it.
“I definitely loved it,” Lee said. “I want to go again.”
According to Gilbert, approximately 1,200 people visit the Villa each day, making advance tickets necessary to control the flow of traffic on the small campus.
Upcoming events include a new exhibit, “Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa,” which features mosaics from national museums in Tunisia. The exhibit runs Oct. 26 to April 30. Gilbert said the main reason students should come visit the Villa is to experience the arts and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean people.
“The Getty Villa’s setting, collections and programs are woven together to create an integrated educational and cultural institution providing a wide range of experience for students as well as scholars, specialized professionals and general audiences,” Gilbert said.
The museum is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Tuesday, Wednesday and major holidays. Parking costs $8, and visitors must approach the Villa from the south. Admission is free, but advance, timed tickets are required and can be obtained by visiting www.getty.edu.
10-05-2006
