Getty Museum Experience

Visiting the Getty Museum was an experience I will forever cherish. Driving up to the museum and viewing the unique architecture and immense scale was breath taking. The modern design and natural materials used was something I had never seen before. The museum is filled with natural light and open space inviting you to enter. I was so eager to get inside and see all of the art and furniture we have been learning about this semester in person. As we went from room to room, I was overwhelmed by the attention to detail every art piece had. From seeing the lavish Baroque pieces to the pastel Rococo rooms I was in awe by the creations of these times. In class there was a particular decorative piece that stuck out to me, which I was eager to see:

They are an essential piece to uncovering information about these time periods. These manuscripts carry stories, prayers, illustrations, traditions, and worship customs. During the middle ages, the decorative arts were mostly depicting religious scenes showing the importance of god and christianity during this time. When learning about these decorative pieces in class during the middle ages, I remember thinking they reminded me of story books that were read to me when I was young. I had an instant connection to these books and was looking forward to seeing them in person at the

After some research, I learned just how treasured and important these were during the time. It showed high status and wealth to have an illuminated manuscript designed custom for you. These manuscripts were most commonly written by monks and the illustrations were done by artists. The text would be hand written with a fine tip feather pen first and when the text was complete, the illustrator would then add all of the ornamentation. Most manuscripts were completed on parchment paper, very few still exist that were done on papyrus. The type of ornamentation depended on the local customs and style of the specific period and location. It was also intriguing to learn the design process behind the work. The monks and artists would lightly draw out the guidelines for the placement of the text and illustrations. The artist would also sketch out their designs on a notebook prior to the final draft and would either trace or refine the final drawings. The illustrations are used to portray an image to the text and tell the story of what is written. They can be visual depictions of ceremonies, worshipping, or prayers. The illustrations were so complex and detailed some of them looked three dimensional. The drawings were very organic and each detail contributed to the beauty of the whole drawing. Some manuscripts were used on a daily basis to practice and recite prayers to show ones devotion to god. The illuminated