Journeys›Photograph

A Sunny February Day Exploring a Classical Villa

·Los Angeles, California·#winter#architecture#museum#gardens#classical-art
Two people stand on a patio between fluted white columns, with a fountain and dark statues in the foreground.

We spent a day in late February 2013 exploring what felt like an ancient Roman villa transplanted to a sunny hillside. We arrived to find bright blue skies. The initial courtyards were lined with white columns and bronze statues, setting a specific tone right from the start.

The main feature of the grounds was a long, brilliant blue reflecting pool in the center of a formal garden. The entire space was meticulously designed, with manicured hedges, palm trees, and pathways that led you around the water and through covered pergolas. The scale of it was impressive, with the grand building overlooking the entire scene.

We spent most of our time just walking through the gardens, stopping to look at the different statues positioned in and around the pools. For February, the weather was perfect. It was quiet and felt very removed from everything.

Inside the museum, the collection continued the theme. We saw Greek and Roman artifacts, like an intricately painted vase housed in a simple glass case. The art inside provided context for the massive architectural project outside, connecting it all together.

Two people stand in a courtyard between two dark statues, in front of a building with white columns.A formal garden with a long rectangular pool, fountains, a statue, a person, architectural elements, and blue sky.A bronze statue of a reclining figure in a fountain, with two people and a classical-style building in a garden.A garden path under a bare-vined pergola, flanked by hedges and palm trees, with a distant person and a pool.A bronze statue sits in a long blue pool, leading to a classical building, palm trees, and gardens under a clear sky.A bronze statue in a long reflecting pool faces a classical building, flanked by palm trees and tree-covered hills.A bronze statue in a long blue pool in front of a white building with palm trees and hills under a clear sky.An ancient Greek red-figure krater with figurative bands and volute handles is on display.

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