Extra Credit Event 1: The Getty Center

For one of my extra credit events, I went to The Getty Center. Many exhibits at The Getty Center represented the third culture that we learned about the first week of class (Vesna 2012). When I arrived, I immediately knew I wanted to visit the Cave Temples of Dunhuang exhibit, which is a replica of three caves located in Mogao, as the actual caves in China are now limiting visitors to help preserve the caves. Conservation of these caves is important, as the exhibit also tells the story of how the Getty Conservation Institute has worked with the Dunhuang Academy since 1989 on preserving and conserving the site. The act of preserving these caves is an extremely scientific process as researchers look at what causes the walls to deteriorate and work to prevent it (Vankin 2016). The director of the Getty Conservation Institute states that "He wants visitors to see not only the artistic works created there but also "the complexities of preserving and conserving such a heritage site in the modern day" (Muchnic 2016) This is a perfect representation of combining art and science to demonstrate the importance of preservation so that the public can continue to enjoy the beauty of the Mogao caves.

Replica Cave 285, the earliest dated Mogao cave

Another artwork that really caught my attention was the beautiful sculpture right outside of the cave exhibition. The sculpture is called That Profile and is made of stainless steel and bronze. The artwork is known as "a marvel of artistry and engineering" as much welding and artistic skill is required to create a complex structure that looks elegant at the same time. The act of having the whole sculpture stand up on only six legs, while the whole sculpture is 45 feet above the floor, takes a lot of engineering knowledge (Puryear 1999). This artwork is great representation of how science and art interact, as engineering knowledge is needed in order to create this beautiful sculpture.

That Profile by Martin Puryear

Another artwork that was very interesting was Saint Cyricus by Francesco Laurana. As stated in the plaque by the sculpture, "Saint Cyricus was a child martyr who was tortured before being killed for refusing to pray to false idols." The shape of the skull is extremely accurate in this sculpture, which "must have been based on careful observation of a real infant" (Dohnal 2014). This shows that in order to create this sculpture, the artist had to understand the anatomy of an infant very well. This is a combination of science and art, as accurate science knowledge was needed to create the accurate representation of Saint Cyricus.

Saint Cyricus by Francesco Laurana

Lastly, the exhibit called In Focus: Electric! was very related to the concept of a third culture. It shows the importance of electricity, light, and darkness (Getty Museum 2016). We take electricity for granted sometimes, but this exhibit truly shows the importance of electricity in our lives through art. Electricity was a scientific invention that truly changed our world, and art is being used in this exhibit to display the importance of this scientific innovation.

Poster outside of the In Focus: Electric! exhibit

Overall, the art I saw throughout my time at The Getty Center were all very unique. I enjoyed continuously being able to apply what I learned in class as I walked throughout The Getty Center. It was interesting to see that so many pieces of art represented the combination of art and science, the third culture that C.P. Snow talks about in which art and science are combined (Snow 1959). I am looking forward to continue to be more aware of how prevalent the third culture is in our world, even beyond my time in DESMA 9.

A volunteer at The Getty Center and I 

Proof that I was at The Getty Center

Event Link: http://www.getty.edu/visit/center/

Citations:

Dohnal, Jerry. "Saint Cyricus." Flickr. Yahoo!, 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 05 June 2016. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaroslavd/13634347133>.

Getty Museum. "In Focus: Electric!" 2016. Web. 05 June 2016. <http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/focus_electric/>.

Muchnic, Suzanne. "The Getty's 'Cave Temples of Dunhuang': How Ancient Desert Outpost Became Remarkable Global Crossroads." Los Angeles Times. 20 May 2016. Web. 05 June 2016. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cave-temples-dunhuang-20160511-snap-story.html>.

Puryear, Martin. "That Profile, Martin Puryear." 1999. Web. 5 June 2016. <https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/contemporary_art/downloads/puryear_thatprofile.pdf>.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

Vankin, Deborah. "'Cave Temples of Dunhuang' at the Getty Museum Wants to Transport You to China's Silk Road." Los Angeles Times. 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 05 June 2016. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cave-temples-getty-20160320-story.html>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Two Cultures.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 30 March 2012. Web. 05 June 2016.