Event: Getty Museum

The introduction to the exhibition In Focus: Electric!

On May 15, I went to the Getty Museum with a few friends.  We only got to see a few of their many exhibitions, but one that seemed most related to this class was called In Focus: Electric!  The pieces in the exhibition were all related to electricity and light, and their influence on society.  We have become dependent on electricity, as most first-world countries are.  The exhibition also looked at the experience of darkness.  Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the exhibition, but I was able to get the introduction outside.

An old clock, with some type of
scientific model on top

Another very large exhibition featured many furnished decorative rooms dating from the 1600s to 1800.  They contained very ornate tables, beds, armchairs, and other furniture.  There were many walls covered in tapestries and large paintings, and most had wallpaper resembling that of a few hundred years ago.  It was amazing to see the degree of luxury of those rooms, of the intricate designs and artisan metal and wood pieces.  The exhibition also shed some light on the technologies at the time.  There were some fancy decorated clocks, like the gilded one pictured.  From the design of the clock we can see that it was influenced by the scientific developments of the day.  On the top of the clock, there is a structure that bears resemblance to a model of an atom or solar system.  Though it is not clear, the clock is definitely topped by either something scientific where there are orbits around a body, or an art piece by someone influenced by one of those scientific models.  Thus, we see that the artistic design of the clock was affected by science.  Another more explicit view into the science of the day is with a microscope featured in the exhibition.  It resembled the optical microscopes we use today, though it was more ornate and came with a case.  The microscope looked very much like an art piece, and it probably was to those who built and used it.

An early microscope, and its case on the left

My visit to the Getty was quite pleasant; I would recommend people visit, as there is a large variety of exhibitions and they can definitely find something they like.  And for me, the best part about the Getty is that the museum itself is a beautiful work of art.

The view from the Getty was beautiful; we could see UCLA.