A VISIT TO THE GETTY VILLA

I just spent a large part of the day at The Getty Villa in The Pacific Palisades. If you live in LA you know that this recreation of a Roman villa houses one of the best collections of Greek and Roman art in the United States.

My favorite room is the one containing the busts. This Roman bronze (above) is extraordinary when you see it up close. The face shows a man full of grit, someone who spits in the face of adversity and refuses to buckle under. 

Yikes! I'm paying the price for not reading the inscriptions. Who is this man? Alexander? Maybe it's nobody well-known, but he dominates the room.

This (above) is simply a highly individuated balding man.

A fascinating likeness (above)! Who is this man?

Above, the emperor Nerva. He looks like Lawrence Olivier in "Spartacus."

This is Commodus, the dissolute son of Marcus Aurelius. I thought Bernini invented this ultra-smooth, beautifully mannered technique, but I guess he didn't.

I've seen this face (above) many times on modern men in present day Los Angeles, yet here it is, on a bust more than 2,000 years old. 

Here's (above) "The Charioteer," which celebrates the victory in a race of Rome's most popular charioteer. 

I'm wondering if the real life charioteer paid for this sculpture (above) out of his own pocket. How else to account for the obvious "Chick Magnet" appeal of the shapes? You should have seen how the women in the museum reacted to this statue.

Above, another bearded man. 

Here's (above) a stunningly charming female face. The sculptor must have admired his subject, maybe he even fell in love with her. It looks like something Carpeaux would have done 1500 years later.

This statue (above) blew my mind. The fluid, quirky style reminds me of Donatello's "David." I thought Donatello invented this technique, but this sculpture pre-dates David by at least 1500 years.

Here's (above) a musician or a poet being visited by the muses. An easily grasped concept, right?

Wrong. What the heck is that (above) fish tail on their backs? I wish I'd taken the time to read the inscription.

Above, a couple of artifacts from Greek theater. The Getty has more painted items like this, but photography in those rooms was forbidden.