Sometimes I know that I will spend so much time trying to think of a good subject for a blog post that I’ll never actually write it, so I just fall back on the date. You can’t go wrong with that, right?
So Hannah, Rachel and I went to “some museum,” as I mentioned earlier today. We went to the Getty. And I would be lying if I didn’t say it was one of the most moving experiences of my entire life. Maybe it’s especially powerful because it’s Holy Week. I don’t know.
Here are the ones that I hope I never forget {and now, thanks to the magic of the internet, never will!}
Polyptych with Saint James Major, Madonna and Child, and Saints; Bartolomeo Vivarini
Read more about it here.
We walked up a flight of stairs, turned a corner into a new exhibit room and I immediately fell in love with this. We tried to guess all of the saints. I particularly love John the Baptist being portrayed in the desert. It was a huge painting, and I wished I could have it in my house.
Saint Mary Magdalen at the Sepulchre; Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo
Read more about it here.
Here is why I love this picture. This is Mary Magdalene at the tomb. See how something is shining at her? That’s the resurrected Christ. Oh man.
The Sermon on the Mount; Jan Brueghel the Elder
Read more about it here.
We got scolded for getting too close to this. We were just trying to find Jesus! Look at how the people are dressed. and you can’t tell, but Jesus is wearing a simple tunic.
The Entombment; Peter Paul Rubens
Read more about it here.
I gasped. and choked back tears. and then let them fall. The description on the Getty website makes note of the greenish color of Christ’s skin but fails to note the same in the depiction of Mary, which goes back to Simeon’s words to Mary, “and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.” {Luke 2:35}
- Christ and the Adulteress; Valentin de Boulogne
Read about it here.
Just note the lighting. That’s all.
- Christ Crowned with Thorns; Gerrit van Honthorst
Read more about it here.
This one came home with me. Not like… I stole it. But I bought the postcard of it, because there were no postcards of that first painting. I got two postcards, one for me and one for my friend Gregory.
You can look at all of their religious art here. I’d recommend it.
I took pictures. Lucky everyone.
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- The moment my life flashed before my eyes.
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- The painting I could not stop looking at.
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- …so I could always remember the color.
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- resting.
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- Queen of the world. Queen is her middle name, too.
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- why yes, that is a pair of little girls’ underwear on the ground.
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- I like naming things. I named this “ladybug flower.”
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- I LOVE FLOWERS SO MUCH!!!
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- the Getty itself is a piece of art.
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- star flowers.
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- wish flowers.
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- the snail I almost touched as I was running my fingers through the leaves.
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- just a Van Gogh painting… no big deal.
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- after the Getty, we stopped by Dave Yaden’s house. I love him a lot.
I will leave you with a Madeleine L’Engle quote which means more today than yesterday…
“Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find the truth.”
They just don’t paint like that anymore. One can’t truly appreciate until you’ve seen the real thing. Absolutely no substitute. You are very fortunate and LUCKY!
-Bethanie
Author
for real. i’ve never really been a fan of visual art, but after seeing them in real life and the intricacy of the brush strokes and the detail up close.. oh my gosh. breath taking.
I went to the Getty Museum last year and got lost for hours in all the beauty. Loved, loved, loved it. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Author
yes! we were only there for 3 hours – didn’t get to see it all, but i definitely could have stayed for HOURS. even just walking around, because the building itself is GORGEOUS.