Getty's Blog's articles ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK The Medieval All-Knowing Book In the Getty Museum’s collection resides a book of medieval divination, which was recently studied in depth by Dr. Faith Wallis, a specialist on medieval medicine from McGill University. An ancient Greek astragalos or anklebone from the hind leg of a goat or sheep. While actual bones were often used for divination, this piece was cast in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK What Is Fluxus? Key Takeaways: Fluxus means to flow continuously or to change. The earthiness and even crudeness of Manifesto stresses Fluxus’s effort to redirect art away from the pretentious elitism of galleries and museums, returning it to sincere human expression. Maciunas’s Manifesto notes the need to jettison “dead art, imitation, artificial art, abstract art, illusionistic art, mathematical […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK How We Observe Paintings Key Takeaways: According to researchers, most visitors spend less than 30 seconds on average looking at an artworkwhile visiting a museum. Paintings conservators often spend hours looking at a picture, often with low magnification, in order to assess the painting’s condition and how it was constructed. The X-radiograph shows that there is fibrous material between […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Can Gluttony Set You Free? Key Takeaways: On the question of excess—of too much food, drink, or anything else—poet William Blake wrote, “You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough.” Groaning boards hold particular appeal for Americans: After the Swedish smörgåsbord was introduced at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, it morphed into the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS The Surprising Power Of Cartoons Key Takeaways: Cartoons can also make us feel anger and powerlessness, fear and loathing. Nobody knows what is it about cartoons, which are generally thought of as silly, trivial, and irrelevant that gives them the power to incite murder, worldwide protests, censorship, imprisonment, and all the rest. Like words, however, cartoons are supple enough to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK What An 18th Century Chair Reveals About Its Owner This large, extraordinary armchair has survived since the 1700s along with its original silk upholstery. Its sumptuously thick cushion is stuffed with over eight pounds of swan- and goose-down feathers. At the time it was made, these costly materials would have held the sitter in a plush embrace. While the chair itself is luxurious – […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK Why Do Artworks Have Frames? There’s a workshop at the Getty Center where the paintings aren’t the stars. Instead, the frames take center stage. In this bright and airy room, empty frames hang on the walls, and tools and books line the counters. There you’d find associate conservator Gene Karakker, who retired earlier this summer, choosing from an assortment of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Who Are Zoos For? In May 1937, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the quiet town of Dudley, England for the grand opening of a new zoo. Throngs of visitors battled for entry for a space that could hold 50,000 a day, leaving many disappointed. Those lucky enough to gain entry would have seen the wonders of modern […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK Why Are So Many Greek Statues Naked? A simple answer could be that the Greeks believed nudity was powerful, ideal, and beautiful. But like so many things from ancient life, there is no easy answer. Greek art—including sculpture, vase paintings, drinking cups, frescoes, and mosaics—is known for depicting nudity, especially male nudes. According to Shelby Brown, senior education specialist at the Getty […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK Exquisite Views Of Nature In A 16th Century Book Small enough to hold in the hand, the allure of the Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta (Wondrous Monuments of Calligraphy) in the Getty Museum’s collection of manuscripts is undeniable. Hold the book close enough, and the butterflies seem to quiver before your eyes and the fruit looks good enough to eat. This manuscript contains a collection of models for […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked CULTURE SCIENCE SOCIOLOGY Where Did Writing Come From? In a world in which immediate access to words and information is taken for granted, it is hard to imagine a time when writing began. Archaeological discoveries in ancient Mesopotamia (now mostly modern Iraq) show the initial power and purpose of writing, from administrative and legal functions to poetry and literature. Mesopotamia was a region […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Conservation In The Time Of Pandemic As I write, we don’t yet know the full socioeconomic impact of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic on people and places around the world. But we know from conversations we’ve had with colleagues and partners globally that cultural heritage places and the many people who rely on them for their livelihoods have been, and continue to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Loading Load more
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK The Medieval All-Knowing Book In the Getty Museum’s collection resides a book of medieval divination, which was recently studied in depth by Dr. Faith Wallis, a specialist on medieval medicine from McGill University. An ancient Greek astragalos or anklebone from the hind leg of a goat or sheep. While actual bones were often used for divination, this piece was cast in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK What Is Fluxus? Key Takeaways: Fluxus means to flow continuously or to change. The earthiness and even crudeness of Manifesto stresses Fluxus’s effort to redirect art away from the pretentious elitism of galleries and museums, returning it to sincere human expression. Maciunas’s Manifesto notes the need to jettison “dead art, imitation, artificial art, abstract art, illusionistic art, mathematical […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK How We Observe Paintings Key Takeaways: According to researchers, most visitors spend less than 30 seconds on average looking at an artworkwhile visiting a museum. Paintings conservators often spend hours looking at a picture, often with low magnification, in order to assess the painting’s condition and how it was constructed. The X-radiograph shows that there is fibrous material between […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Can Gluttony Set You Free? Key Takeaways: On the question of excess—of too much food, drink, or anything else—poet William Blake wrote, “You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough.” Groaning boards hold particular appeal for Americans: After the Swedish smörgåsbord was introduced at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, it morphed into the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS The Surprising Power Of Cartoons Key Takeaways: Cartoons can also make us feel anger and powerlessness, fear and loathing. Nobody knows what is it about cartoons, which are generally thought of as silly, trivial, and irrelevant that gives them the power to incite murder, worldwide protests, censorship, imprisonment, and all the rest. Like words, however, cartoons are supple enough to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK What An 18th Century Chair Reveals About Its Owner This large, extraordinary armchair has survived since the 1700s along with its original silk upholstery. Its sumptuously thick cushion is stuffed with over eight pounds of swan- and goose-down feathers. At the time it was made, these costly materials would have held the sitter in a plush embrace. While the chair itself is luxurious – […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK Why Do Artworks Have Frames? There’s a workshop at the Getty Center where the paintings aren’t the stars. Instead, the frames take center stage. In this bright and airy room, empty frames hang on the walls, and tools and books line the counters. There you’d find associate conservator Gene Karakker, who retired earlier this summer, choosing from an assortment of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Who Are Zoos For? In May 1937, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the quiet town of Dudley, England for the grand opening of a new zoo. Throngs of visitors battled for entry for a space that could hold 50,000 a day, leaving many disappointed. Those lucky enough to gain entry would have seen the wonders of modern […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK Why Are So Many Greek Statues Naked? A simple answer could be that the Greeks believed nudity was powerful, ideal, and beautiful. But like so many things from ancient life, there is no easy answer. Greek art—including sculpture, vase paintings, drinking cups, frescoes, and mosaics—is known for depicting nudity, especially male nudes. According to Shelby Brown, senior education specialist at the Getty […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK Exquisite Views Of Nature In A 16th Century Book Small enough to hold in the hand, the allure of the Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta (Wondrous Monuments of Calligraphy) in the Getty Museum’s collection of manuscripts is undeniable. Hold the book close enough, and the butterflies seem to quiver before your eyes and the fruit looks good enough to eat. This manuscript contains a collection of models for […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE SCIENCE SOCIOLOGY Where Did Writing Come From? In a world in which immediate access to words and information is taken for granted, it is hard to imagine a time when writing began. Archaeological discoveries in ancient Mesopotamia (now mostly modern Iraq) show the initial power and purpose of writing, from administrative and legal functions to poetry and literature. Mesopotamia was a region […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Conservation In The Time Of Pandemic As I write, we don’t yet know the full socioeconomic impact of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic on people and places around the world. But we know from conversations we’ve had with colleagues and partners globally that cultural heritage places and the many people who rely on them for their livelihoods have been, and continue to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked