Getty villa

FALL 2020

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY PART ONE: ARC 1701 SECTION 4880

Assignment: Presentation Essay

Name: Martinez, Angelica

UF ID: 49038118

Essay Topic: Getty Villa (1974), Los Angeles, California, Architects: Hans Mumper, Norman Neuerburg (1926,1997), Robert E. Langdon Jr (1918, 2004), Ernest C. Wilson Jr(1924,1992).

Number:

Essay 1

Describing the Architecture of Getty Villa

The architecture of Getty Villa is one of the best forms of art in the world. The Getty Villa is situated at the end of the Malibu coast, neighboring California and Los Angeles in the US. The Getty villa remains an educational center and a museum that is used by people in the study of arts concerning the ancient Rome, Greece, and Etruria. During the construction of the Villa, many rolls of papyrus were discovered, and therefore it was named as the Villa of the Papyri.[1]Since its establishment, all the collections of Getty are stored here. When designing the Getty Villa, the architects relied on depended floor plans that were drawn by Karl Weber. During the mid-18^th century, Karl Weber excavated the Herculaneum Villa, in which volcanic gases interfered with the process.

The architecture of Getty Villa can be viewed as fake recreation. When designing the Villa, the architects were free to take odd liberties. Throughout this architecture, doric, ionic and Corinthian columns appear to be intermixed. At Villa’s end, there is a Pompeii foundation that sits on it.  Travertine is used to connect the Meier’s Getty Center, to the Villa axe. There are also other historical anachronisms and amalgams that are present in this form of art. During the renovation of the Getty Villa in 2006, the architects went to the extent of adding modern “excavation.”[2] Once one pays a visit to the Vila, he/she is forced to walk up flights of stairs, making it appear like entering the Villa from above. Descending down the stairs, the walls appear like layers of wood. An archeological-styled ramp makes one cross vertically the levels of the dig.

The architects moved to extend of using Weber’s floor plans, meant for the buried Roman villa. The artist located the atrium designs that determined if the atrium was supposed to be made of two or more levels. Both the ancient Roman and modern are represented in this form of art. This form of art employed the use of architectural cross-section, representing the artifacts of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan.[3] The architecture of Getty Villa is also made up of paintings that decorate the buildings. Lawn parks are well-designed with green grasses, making it appear real.

Architectural Acquisitions in Italy.

The association of Getty with Piso, Nero, Julius Caesar, and Hadrian led to the acquisition of architecture in Italy. Getty’s association with Julius Caesar contributed to the acquisition of architecture in Italy. Immediately after he was appointed, Julius embarked on the renovation of the Roman Empire. During his reign, Julius developed many poetry that can be traced to the Getty Villa museum. Hadrian, despite being a British Emperor, he strongly contributed to the acquisition of architecture in Italy.[4]Hadrian was a traveled and educated man, who promoted the Greek Philosophy. Different from other emperors, he almost traveled in all other emperors, including the Roman emperor. Under his leadership, he commissioned great infrastructural projects. Hadrian is well-known for having built Athens, and later patronizing architecture and arts. One of the best projects that contributed to architecture in Italy is the rebuilding of the Pantheon.

Nero is one of the remembered Roman Emperors who killed his own mother and also his two wives. Nero contribution to the acquisition of architecture in Italy is seen when he burned Rome and then later re-built it. He strongly developed a passion for music and art, composing many songs that can be found in the Paul Getty Museum.[5] Finally, Piso is another leader who greatly contributed to the acquisition of architecture in Italy. Piso, who was from a loyal family, distributed wealth among the Roman social classes. Piso liked singing, writing poetry, and playing a game known as latrunculi. Most important, he owned a Villa at Baiae.

Villa Dei Papiri as the Prototype for Getty Villa

Villa Dei Papiri was rich in the collection of frescoes, papyrus scrolls, and sculptures in the 1970s.The eruption of Mount Vesuvius presented many opportunities in examining the region.[6] During the eruption of this mountain, many minerals such as bronze and silver were brought on the surface that required to be analyzed. Therefore, Paul Getty felt the need in developing Getty Villa, a region with unique characters. Besides, during the eruption, volcanic gases were released into the environment, making it difficult for the excavation process to continue. Many deaths occurred during the eruption. This region, situated at the coast, presented also an opportunity to analyze the papyrus. Many rolls of papyrus grew in this region, unlike other parts of the coast.

There was a comprehensive plan regarding excavations, which were to be buried out by engineer Karl Jacob Weber. Since during the eruption, many minerals were buried deep inside and others were forced out. Paul Getty took this as an opportunity in knowing the minerals and the gases that were emitted out.[7]

The Architecture of the Villa Dei Papiri and the Getty Villa

The remains of the Villa Dei Papiri resulted in mosaic and colored marble floors. They created a unique library consisting of thousands of papyrus scrolls. The architecture of Getty Villa and Villa Dei Papiri relied on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.[8] The Malibu Villa is modeled from after the Villa Dei Papiri. When designing the two forms of architecture, the architects focused on recreating the dimensions. The wall and floor types largely depend on the Greek and Roman edifices. For instance, taking a look at the museum, it had 29 galleries which are on two categories.There is a studying area and other two rooms meant for exhibits. Downstairs there is an atrium that allows penetration of light into the pool.  Surrounding the pool if features of green vegetation. The inner peristyle is the triclinium, a Roman villa dining zone.The architects created a vacant space that makes people feel the intricate geometric marble techniques. The floors and side walls of these buildings are made of grapevine painting ceiling.

The architecture of Villa Dei Papiri is created with different features. It is created based on the typical Roman style villa. The key features in this architecture include an atrium. This is the entrance to the hall. It featured the impluvium: the center of the pool and a region where rainwater entered into the pool. When developing the impluvium, the artists surrounded it with 11 statues pouring water.[9] Another feature is the peristyle. This is a columned porch surrounding a garden. The Villa Dei Papiri peristyle consisted of 10 columns on each side together with a large swimming pool situated at the center of the garden.[10]

The front of the villa stretches more than 250 meters, parallel to its coastline, commonly referred to as the Gulf of Naples.[11]When designing the villa, porticoes were used to surround it with many woods, vineyards, and vegetable gardens. For many years, the Villa has remained faithful to its general appearance. The atrium, which is the entrance to the hall, acts as the means of communication with the other parts of the house. The reception quarters of the villa were categorized into terraces and porticoes, which created room for light penetration into the building.[12]Carbonized and rolled papyri were organized well creating a wooden capsae for light penetration into the library. The wooden shelves were created near the walls and others in the middle of the room. The gardens consisted of a gallery of busts and bronze statues. They were laid in the open part of the garden.

In conclusion, the architecture of Getty Villa is one of the best arts around the world. Getty Villa serves many purposes including educational and recreation ones. By keen analyzing the architecture of Getty Villa, one might think is a fake recreation. The architects employed the use of various styles such as doric, Corinthian, and ironic columns, to make the buildings appear more attractive. The acquisition of architecture in Italy resulted in efforts made by different leaders. Some of these leaders such as Hadrian and Nero had a strong sense of art, composing, and singing poetry. In choosing the Villa Dei Papiri as the prototype for Getty Villa, Paul was drive by two factors: Villa Dei Papiri was rich in the collection of frescoes, papyrus scrolls, and sculptures. Besides, there was a comprehensive plan about the excavations that were buried during the eruption.

The architecture of the Getty Villa

Peristyle Garden (2007), Los Angeles, US.     The Lansdowne Harakles (2007), California, US.

Architect: BobakHa’Eri (1965).Architect: Spikebrennan’

Outer peristyle (2007). California, US.

Architect: BobakHa’Eri (1965).

The architecture of the Getty Villa and the Villa Dei Papiri.

Fresco from the Villa (2013): Los Angeles, US.    Statue of Dancers, Peristyle (2013: LA, US.

Architect: Sailko (1966).Architect: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (1942).

Restored Villa of the Papyri (1908): California, US.

Architect: Ethel Ross Barker (1881-1982).

[1]Bowe, Patrick, and Michael D. DeHart. Gardens and Plants of the Getty Villa. Getty Publications, 2011.

[2]Bruce, Lorne. “Palace and villa libraries from Augustus to Hadrian.” Journal of library history (1986): 510-552.

[3]Lapatin, Kenneth. “The Getty Villa: Art, architecture, and aristocratic self-fashioning in the mid-twentieth century.” Pompeii in the public imagination from its rediscovery to today, eds. SJ Hales & J. Paul, Oxford (2011): 270-285.

[4]Moltesen, Mette. “Museum Review: The Reopened Getty Villa.” American Journal of Archaeology 111, no. 1 (2007): 155-159.

[5]von Naredi-Rainer, Paul. Museum buildings: a design manual. Birkhäuser, 2004.

[6] Ibid 2.

[7] Ibid 2.

[8] Ibid 2.

[9] Ibid 3.

[10] Ibid 2.

[11] Ibid 3.

[12] Ibid 2.