Summary
- Santa Monica is the city by the beach filled with impressive art.
- The Getty Villa was hard to access but still has an impressive collection comparable to the Getty Center.
Highlights
Santa Monica 3rd St
- This street is dedicated to pedestrians, and we can see famous stores such as Apple and Tesla.
- It was especially cool to see the actual Cybertruck and Tesla.
Santa Monica Pier
- The beach in California is so wide, and the waves are so intense.
- The site was crowded, and there was even a theme park.
The Getty Villa
- This villa was built based on the Italian ruins buried by the eruption of a volcano that caused the demise of Pompeii.
- In contrast to the Getty Center, which focuses on Christian art, this museum is more focused on Greek and Roman artwork from more than 2,000 years ago.
- Even though the artifacts date back to the A.D. period, they are so intact that I could believe they were created just a few years ago.
Egyptian Collection
- This is a special exhibition that includes multiple stone plates and statues.
Marble Statue Collection
- This is the most impressive collection in the museum.
Other Interesting Artifacts
- Not only realistic statues, but they also created humorous or creative artifacts.
- Although they were created around 10 or 20 centuries ago, sometimes we can see funny expressions reminiscent of comics or modern expressions that are even comparable to today’s artistic style.
- They even had a golden crown that I have only seen in paintings. They have a significant number of valuable items that we typically see in textbooks.
- The glass was intricate, with a combination of multiple colors, carving, and a smooth surface. Unfortunately, it is really difficult to capture the delicate light they reflect, and it often seems darker than it is since the reflected light is weaker than the light source.
The Venice Canal
- It’s a famous place on Google Maps, but unfortunately, it is not designed for tourist attractions. They have a canal, but the other parts are pretty much the same as other parts of the US.
- There was a beach and a nice art gallery next to it. My friend said that there will be special activities sometimes.
Bergamot Station Arts Center
- I can’t remember the gallery name, so I apologize for the misleading title, but I’ll categorize them for easier understanding.
- Taking photos is clearly acknowledged in many museums, but unfortunately, the gallery didn't make it clear about taking photographs, and some are operated for profit. Therefore, I assumed they were rather unwelcome regarding the use of photographs, and I won't be putting them here. For the photographs, please refer to the official website, and I'll just leave my commentary. https://bergamotstation.com/
Monochrome Artworks
- This is a VERY underrated art gallery right next to the metro station.
- What makes this arts center unique is the strong focus on ultra-modern art that sometimes even uses computer graphic technology. It’s so brand new because this is half an artists' workplace and is constantly updated with the latest works.
- The monochrome artwork using sharp white lines was so impressive with its realistic depiction, beautifully intensifying its charm. The object is something familiar but feels like the vast mystery of the universe at the same time.
- They also had colorful artwork visualizing today’s society. It’s informative, not only being beautiful.
Digital Artworks
- These are my favorite galleries that use computer technology such as AI, microcontrollers, and computer simulations for their artworks.
- This is very close to what I’m trying to do, and I was surprised by the variety of media that we can combine with computer technology.
- They are still unaffordable to me, but some artworks are sold for around $400.
- One common theme in many artworks is that we can feel a connection to natural phenomena. Some people try to recreate nature by using fractals, while others use AI to create paintings that consist of countless organic patterns.
- Some artists use special lights rather than displays to bring their artwork into 3D space.
Other Interesting Artworks
- There are dozens of galleries, and each gallery has specific characteristics.
- I liked the artwork composed of daily use items, which gives interesting detail, even though the overall look is simple. We could say this is a collage using 3D objects.
- The artwork magnifying a hand was interesting. Modern art is usually about simplification or intensification, and this artist expressed the dynamics of daily life by magnifying the hand.
Other Interesting Places
- It’s rare to see a food court in the US, but there is one in Koreatown. They even have a giant screen, but I wondered if the costs have paid off.
- American people often simplify East Asian people as Chinese, but besides mainland China, many people also come from Taiwan and Hong Kong. It might become a political issue, but it would be interesting if there were a Taiwan Town or Hong Kong Town.
Food
- Spam Musubi!! This is the most extreme ingredient in sushi I’ve ever seen, but for some reason, it looks completely normal! It was invented in Hawaii.
- The roll looks like a rice roll, but actually, oily vermicelli is inside. I recommend eating it when it’s fresh.
- The kimchi dumpling was not as spicy as expected. It was more like an egg omelet with moderate spice.
Opinions
- The marble statues give a rigorous atmosphere, and it’s fresh in my memory that they were used at the opening of the movie Arcane. However, most ancient legacies are still yet to be utilized in digital formats.
- Looking at artifacts, reminds me that many tools for living were established more than 20 centuries ago. It’s amazing but somewhat disappointing that we still find it difficult to exceed them, or sometimes we are even deteriorating compared to that time.
- We can see diversity in their artwork, but the world is getting monotonous these days. Especially in the USA, housing is too standardized and lacks creativity, and we might be compensating for it with modern art. I think it would be much better if diversity were ensured in every part of our daily life.
- I think the beauty of European art comes from the manipulation of light. It’s amazing to see the light reflecting or casting shadows on surfaces that would otherwise be simply white. Modern artwork tends to focus on flat design, but it would be cool if we could simulate the beauty of light in a modern format.
- I hadn’t thought about it, but the content of galleries is highly influenced by the collectors' will, and I realized the importance of having multiple galleries rather than a giant single museum. Even today, the value of digital art is underrated, and that’s where what I call “gallery startups” come in. The galleries using computer technology were really interesting, and I hope to see much larger collections in the future.
- While viewing the digital artwork, there was almost no artwork that didn’t include a natural motif. Even those that look artificial, such as neon artwork, give us a familiar natural impression through their use of neon light. In other words, good art reminds us of something rather than being complete by itself.
- The idea that all rights preserved are equal to everything being prohibited leaves the possibility of criminal charges for any action. I think it's better to delegate rights to AI, which will reflect the owner's will and provide clear conditions for every use case. Art is supposed to be a creative activity, but it often comes with a minimum of creativity: compliance with the law. It's absolutely wrong that we have to spend more time fighting and suing rather than creating something new. The current method of copyright resolution is too inefficient, and I hope AI technology can intervene between parties. It would be preferable if we could know legitimacy immediately before using something, and AI should be able to judge instead of the artist. We no longer have to rely on assumptions if we can check them clearly and instantly.
