Museum Extra Credit Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects the senses, emotions, and/or intellect. Many types of art, even if from different eras, can be not only different but also very similar. By going to a museum and learning about all the different types of art, you realize how different pieces of art can have a lot in common. I decided to visit both the Getty Villa and the Getty center museums to learn more about the artwork that we learned about in class. I went to the Getty Villa to find my work of art during the Neolithic era and I went to the Getty Center to find art from the Roman Imperial era. Both museums were very interesting and it was hard for me to pick just one piece of artwork, one from both eras. I found the pottery and pots the most interesting so I decided to learn about the beautiful pots in more detail. They were so similar and different in so many ways. One vessel that I found to be very interesting is from the Heliolithic era and is titled “Flask Shaped as the Head of Bacchus”. It is a very beautiful vessel. The flask is made of glass and had a very detailed design on it. It had a crown of ivy leaves, which identifies the head of Bacchus. Bacchus is also referred to Dionysus, the god of wine and intoxication. The god and his followers were often depicted with ivy, alluding to the deity’s close association with wine and fertility. This flask was created by molten glass into a mold. This is a technique frequently used in the Roman period to produce large quantities of identical vessels. I found the design of this vessel to be very interesting, which is why I chose tow rite about it. The way they designed it to look like the head of Bacchus is very fascinating. They use the flask to pour wine and other alcoholic beverages into, with it being the god of wine. I found that detail very clever. While I was wondering the Getty center I found a group of jars that were remarkable looking. They are titled as “Drug Jars”. In the 700s Islamic practitioners established the first pharmacies in present-day Iraq. Influenced by the Islamic work and study of ancient Greek and Roman medical texts, Italian scientists began to establish pharmacies in the 1400s to dispense medical preparation. Maiolica jars were used for storage, since they were easily washed ad therefore hygienic. Much of the functional maiolica remaining today is in the form of drug jars. My favorite item in the group of “drug jars” is the “Dish with an Allegory of Love”. It is of a young man depicted in the center of the molded dish. The young man is bounded to a tree. This image, popular in Italy in the 1500s, is an allegory of love. It is shown as a bittersweet force that holds its victim captive. In keeping with this theme, a rope encircles the central scene. These two pieces of artwork are similar because they are both they are both vessels used for meaningful purposes. Some jars are made strictly for art purposes only, but these two both had very important functions. One was used as a flask and symbolized a very heroic god, and the other was used for medical purposed and was incorporated with important gods and goddesses, such as Venus (the goddess of love). They both used these vessels for religious reasons and based their ways of life of these gods and goddesses. I have learned a lot about mythology in the past so I have a good grasp on a lot of mythological stories. I however have not seen or learned about the art that went with them. It proves that the Romans put a lot of emphasize and believed in these great gods and goddesses greatly. All of their inspiration comes from these mythological heroes and they spend all day painting, and creating artwork of them. I like that I can look at the jars and see the story behind them without even reading the description. They have so much detail and emotion. When I do read the description I am even more fascinated when I learn about the hidden symbolism. Nowadays people don’t put a lot of creativity and create art for products used everyday. Now we just make everything plain and simple to make things faster and easier to produce. People won’t for example, won’t put so much time and effort to make a flask or a jar to put herbs in. If they did, it most likely wouldn’t be based around religious figures. This just proves how the lazy most of society has become. We have come a long way especially with the drug jars. People don’t use drug jars anymore in pharmacies but rather drugs in the form of pills or medicine that is injected. We don’t have paintings of heroes on any of our equipment, only plaint containers. I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to visit both of these amazing museums. It was nice to see the history of art in person versus a PowerPoint slide. I really got a sense of how much time, effort and detail went into their work. Even though they didn’t have the proper tools that we have today, you can see how talented they were in their art and how it wasn’t easy to make. I used to think that there wasn’t artwork back then, only rocks but I was definitely proven wrong. I really liked the Getty Villa the best. The atmosphere was quite beautiful. I really liked the layout of the outside design with the water being surrounded by hedges cut in a geometric design. I felt like I was actually in a real building in ancient Rome with the columns. I really got a feel for the ancient times. I would definitely visit these museums another time when I get the chance.