Thursday, March 31, 2005
Whew! Finally home
I'm doing this last post from home - just to wrap up this little diatribe.
Monday, I took the morning off from gazing at art to do a bit of shopping. I had been trying to think of something to bring back as a gift for Chris. I wanted something special (not that the others gifts I picked up weren't) - perhaps even extra special. I had been really missing our weekly get togethers and so had he. So I got a brilliant idea and found a store that might have what I was thinking of (but no, I'm not going to give it away. Chris told me he was reading this blog and it'll be a few days before he gets the item). After a long walk, a bus ride, a train ride, another long walk, getting lost and asking directions and finally yet another long walk, I reached the special store (actually Fry's - a famous store for a particular type of item - that's the only clue Chris). The item was available and I bought it at an excellent price and it's now in my bag waiting for Chris to get it. Note also, I've been back for more than 24 hrs and I still haven't unpacked.
Monday afternoon I went to the LACMA - no that's not the Lactating Mothers Association, it's the LA County Museum of Art. I've been to quite a few galleries over the years, this is the first one in which I have ever had a feeling of ostentatiousness (I hope that's a word). I can't quite put my finger on why. I think it has something to do with that fact that each gallery within the larger gallery was named after some sponsor (e.g The Steve Martin Gallery) and most works in the galleries were gifts of private individuals. Another example was the Raymond and Frances Bushell Netsuke Gallery that had a vast (almost bewildering) array of netsuke (small Japanese carvings) in a room of, probably 400 sq ft. The space devoted to these little pieces seemed out of all proportion to the potential public interest in them. It seemed more like a statement: "Look what I own, isn't that impressive?"
Finally, the photo gallery sucked, big time. They claim to have 5000 international examples of images from the 1830s to the present. The display had six images, all by one artist I had never heard of. They were fine in their own right, but what about the rest?
Shopping and LACMA was all I had time for Monday. Note that going anywhere required me to spend 3-4 hours each day on transit or walking. By the time Tuesday rolled around, I didn't have the energy to look at another painting, let alone a gallery full of them. Thus, unfortunately, I didn't get back to Getty. Hopefully next time.
Getting home was uneventful, except for the fact that I had to get up at 3:30 AM to get to my flight 90 minutes before departure as required by AA. I got home tired and woke up the next morning with a cold.
I guess that's better than travelling with one.
Monday, I took the morning off from gazing at art to do a bit of shopping. I had been trying to think of something to bring back as a gift for Chris. I wanted something special (not that the others gifts I picked up weren't) - perhaps even extra special. I had been really missing our weekly get togethers and so had he. So I got a brilliant idea and found a store that might have what I was thinking of (but no, I'm not going to give it away. Chris told me he was reading this blog and it'll be a few days before he gets the item). After a long walk, a bus ride, a train ride, another long walk, getting lost and asking directions and finally yet another long walk, I reached the special store (actually Fry's - a famous store for a particular type of item - that's the only clue Chris). The item was available and I bought it at an excellent price and it's now in my bag waiting for Chris to get it. Note also, I've been back for more than 24 hrs and I still haven't unpacked.
Monday afternoon I went to the LACMA - no that's not the Lactating Mothers Association, it's the LA County Museum of Art. I've been to quite a few galleries over the years, this is the first one in which I have ever had a feeling of ostentatiousness (I hope that's a word). I can't quite put my finger on why. I think it has something to do with that fact that each gallery within the larger gallery was named after some sponsor (e.g The Steve Martin Gallery) and most works in the galleries were gifts of private individuals. Another example was the Raymond and Frances Bushell Netsuke Gallery that had a vast (almost bewildering) array of netsuke (small Japanese carvings) in a room of, probably 400 sq ft. The space devoted to these little pieces seemed out of all proportion to the potential public interest in them. It seemed more like a statement: "Look what I own, isn't that impressive?"
Finally, the photo gallery sucked, big time. They claim to have 5000 international examples of images from the 1830s to the present. The display had six images, all by one artist I had never heard of. They were fine in their own right, but what about the rest?
Shopping and LACMA was all I had time for Monday. Note that going anywhere required me to spend 3-4 hours each day on transit or walking. By the time Tuesday rolled around, I didn't have the energy to look at another painting, let alone a gallery full of them. Thus, unfortunately, I didn't get back to Getty. Hopefully next time.
Getting home was uneventful, except for the fact that I had to get up at 3:30 AM to get to my flight 90 minutes before departure as required by AA. I got home tired and woke up the next morning with a cold.
I guess that's better than travelling with one.
