WELCOME TO THE GETTY MUSEUM!
Today’s visit will take you into the world of Greek and Roman myths—ancient stories about heroes, monsters, gods, and goddesses. These stories are so good that people have told them again and again for more than two thousand years, sometimes with words and other times with art. 

This packet contains seven activities and each will take about fifteen minutes to complete. Check with your teacher first, and then number each activity (1 thru 6) in the order in which your group will complete them:

Number	Activity							Location		 

______ 	Attributes—Clues as to Who’s Who 		(West Pavilion)
______ 	Characters, Actions, and Settings 			(South Pavilion)
______ 	Creating a Monster 					(West Pavilion)
______ 	Lasting Traditions 					(West Pavilion)
______ 	A Picture Paints a Thousand Words 		(South Pavilion)
______ 	Body Language						(North Pavilion)
__7___	Postcard Memories–do this at the end of your visit

West Pavilion
Lower Level
Antiquities Galleries Greek Vases

ATTRIBTUES – CLUES AS TO WHO’S WHO

Myths are stories, and artists can be great storytellers. To recognize the characters in a story, artists show them with unique clothing, weapons, or other identifying objects. These objects are called attributes—they tell us who is who. 

#1	READ about the four mythical characters below.
#2	HUNT through the gallery of ancient Greek vases to find at least one example of each character.  
#3	CHECK your answers by reading the labels.

Athena
The Goddess of War and Wisdom
 
Look for a woman, usually dressed for battle with a helmet, shield, and spear. Instead of body armor, she wears a protective cape of scales called an aegis.

Attributes
•	Woman, sometimes with an owl
•	Helmet, shield, spear
•	Cape with scales (aegis)

Dionysos
The God of Wine

Look for a bearded man with long hair who wears a crown of ivy leaves. He often holds a cup and a branch of ivy or a grapevine.

Attributes
•	Beard and long hair
•	Crown of ivy
•	Holding a drinking cup, ivy, or grapevine

Hydra
A Monster

Look for a monster with many snake heads. Who is it fighting?

Attribute
•	Many snake heads

Herakles (also called Hercules)
A Hero Known for Strength

Look for a powerful man with short, curly hair. He is often shown wrestling a lion or wearing a lion’s skin over his head and shoulders. He may also carry a club.

Attributes
•	Short, curly hair
•	Wrestling a lion, or wearing a lion’s skin
•	Holds a club

WRAP UP: 
Together as a group, share what you found. How were the characters similar and different? What were they shown to be doing? Knowing about attributes can help you recognize Gods, Goddesses and heroes throughout the Museum. As you leave this room and go into the next, see if you can find other examples of these characters!

West Pavilion
Lower Level
Antiquities Galleries Greek Vases

CHARACTERS, ACTIONS, AND SETTINGS
Artists tell stories using characters, action, and settings (or place). They include clues to help identify their characters, posing them so we know what they are doing and feeling, and creating a setting that tells us when and where the story takes place.

#1	READ out loud as a group the episode from a famous myth below.
#2	FIND the painting in this gallery that shows this story.

There once was a young hero named Perseus, who cut off the head of Medusa, a snake-haired monster so hideous that anyone who looked at her turned to stone. The gods helped Perseus kill Medusa. After beheading her, the hero married a beautiful princess. But their wedding banquet was ruined when a jealous man, Phineas, who had once been engaged to the princess, attacked the party.

During the terrible battle, the hero was so outnumbered that he felt he had no choice but to use the ultimate weapon against his attackers—Medusa’s head, which could turn men to stone. The hero warned his friends to cover their eyes, and then held out the monster’s head. Overhearing the warning, one attacker raised his spear and sneered, “Find someone else to frighten with your miracles.” But no sooner did these words leave his lips than his body froze in that position forever; he had turned into a statue made of stone.

#3  	After finding the painting, look at it carefully and with a partner answer the following questions:

Who is the main character? Describe him. What is he doing? Where is he located in the painting?  

Describe the action in the painting—what’s happening?

Describe the setting—where does this take place and how can you tell?

What are three ways that the story and the painting are the same or different? (Write below.)

#4	Share your answers as a group.

WHEN YOU FIND THE PAINTING:

1) What key elements did the artist include to identify Perseus?
2) Name 3 important actions the artist included to tell the story. 
3) What key elements did the artist include to identify the setting of the wedding banquet?

Teacher:  Wrap-up Statement:

West Pavilion
Lower Level
Antiquities Galleries

CREATING A MONSTER
Greek and Roman myths are filled with fantastic creatures and monsters. Many 
of these monsters are made up of a combination of body parts from real animals.  For example, the griffin is a monster with the wings and head of an eagle and 
body of a lion. For the past two thousand years artists have used their imaginations to show what these strange creatures might have looked like. Now it’s your turn.

#1	READ the description of creatures called Sirens.
#2	HUNT for examples of Sirens in this gallery.
#3	FIND other examples of monsters in the room.
#4	DRAW your own monster and write a myth or story about it.

The Sirens were bird women. They had beautiful female faces and voices. Some had female bodies too, but others had the bodies, legs, and feet of birds. Their voices were irresistible to humans. The Sirens perched above the sea and used their magical songs to lure sailors too close to the cliffs, causing their ships to smash against the rocks.

How many other monsters can you find in this room? Describe how the monsters look. What different animal parts do they have?

DRAW your own monster. Write a myth or story about your monster

LASTING TRADITIONS

Part I							
 
This is a sculpture of Venus, the goddess of love
and beauty. It was made almost 2,000 years ago

Look carefully at this sculpture then list three
adjectives that describe it.

Describe Venus’s body. Is she young or old, strong or weak?
Describe how she is standing and what you think she is doing:

Describe her skin. What do you think it would feel like if you could touch it?

Describe her face and hair: 

Venus was said to be born from the waves of the ocean. What do you see that gives you a clue as to where she was born?

West Pavilion
Lower Level
Lobby just outside the Antiquities Galleries

Gods, goddesses, and heroes are often shown in similar ways throughout time. In this activity you are going to compare two sculptures of Venus, who was also called Aphrodite. She was the goddess of love and beauty. One sculpture was made almost 2,000 years ago and the other was made over 200 years ago. Venus was often shown naked to celebrate her beauty and her physical perfection.

West Pavilion
Plaza Level
Gallery W101
European Sculpture 1750–1850

Part II							
 
This is also a sculpture of Venus. It was
made over 200 years ago in England.

Look carefully at this sculpture then list three adjectives that
describe it.

Describe Venus’s body. Is she young or old, strong or weak? Describe her pose and what you think she is doing:

Describe her skin. What do you think it would feel like if you could touch it?

Describe her face and her hair:

Part III							
 
These two sculptures were made over 1,500 years apart in different countries by different artists. However, they have many similarities. 

What was the same in both sculptures? 

What was different? 

Did comparing the sculptures make you look more closely? 

Discuss your ideas as a group.

South Pavilion
Plaza Level
Gallery S112
French Decorative Arts 1765–1785

A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

Did you know that your face and body can talk without making a
sound? Just think of how often you have been able to interpret the
mood of a friend from his/her body language or facial expression.
Faces and bodies are powerful communicators, and artists take
advantage of this to tell stories. Look at how the artist who made 
this painting used each character’s expression and body language 
to tell us a story. 
	
#1	LOOK at the painting and ANSWER the questions about each character’s actions, expressions, and gestures.
#2 	WRITE DOWN the story you think this painting tells.

Look at the FISH/MAN carefully.

Describe his gestures (the way he holds his hands):

Describe the expression on his face:

Look at the GIRL carefully.

Describe her gestures (the way she holds her hands):

Describe the expression on her face:

Look at the BABY carefully.

Describe him:

Describe what he is doing:

Describe the story you think this painting tells. Base your ideas on each character’s, actions, gestures, and expressions. What do you think happened five minutes before? What will happen next?

Have you finished your story? Then compare your version of the story to the story the artist had in mind when he painted this picture.

The title of this painting is Glaucus and Scylla. It tells the story of the ill-fated love of Glaucus, a sea god, for the girl Scylla.

GLAUCUS AND SCYLLA

One day Glaucus, a sea god, set his eyes upon the beautiful girl Scylla, who was wandering along the seashore. He fell madly in love with her. Unfortunately, Scylla thought he was a monster and was afraid of him. She ran all the way to the top of a cliff that jutted out over the sea before she stopped to look down upon the god. Glaucus pleaded with her not to be afraid of him and told her he was in love with her. (In the painting, Glaucus demonstrates his love by pulling aside his beard so that Scylla can see where Cupid’s arrow sticks out of his chest. Cupid was the god of love, and anyone touched by his arrows fell hopelessly in love.) But Scylla still did not return the god’s love, and ran away.

Was your story like the one above? Name two ways in which your story is similar to the story of Glaucus and Scylla. Then list two ways in which it is different?
Similarities:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Differences:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Does knowing the story make you look at the painting differently now than when you first saw it? How and why? Discuss your ideas as a group.

North Pavilion
Plaza Level
Gallery N102
European Bronzes 
1500–1600

BODY LANGUAGE
In this room you’ll find two bronze sculptures of the messenger god Mercury, also called Hermes, who was the god of science and travel as well. Gods and goddesses usually have attributes or clues that identify who they are. Mercury has several attributes: he often wears a cap and shoes with wings, and he sometimes holds a special stick entwined with two snakes called a caduceus. This stick gave him the power to go anywhere.

#1	WITH a partner, LOOK carefully around the room and FIND two sculptures of Mercury. (Look for his attributes described above.)
#2	ANSWER the questions below.
Different artists in Italy made these two sculptures. As you look at each sculpture, write down four words to describe Mercury’s body, movement, expression, or feeling:
Mercury #1					Mercury #2				
1.							1.
2.							2.
3.							3.
4.							4.
What are three ways the sculptures are the same? What are three ways they are different from each other? 
Same						Different						
1.							1.			
2.							2.
3.							3. 

Sculptures are generally three-dimensional--meant to be seen from many angles. Choose one of the two sculptures and with your partner look at it from different angles. Discuss how your view changes as you move around it. Is one angle better than another? Where’s the best place to stand to view the sculpture? Share your ideas as a group.

DRAW one of the two sculptures from your favorite angle on the back of this page.

POSTCARD MEMORIES
Myths are stories; they’re meant to be told. Pretend to write a postcard to your family or a friend describing your trip to the Getty. Tell them about a character or myth you learned about today. Share your postcards as a group.

																																	TO:

We hope you enjoyed exploring ancient Greek and Roman mythology at the Getty Museum. Please come back soon and bring someone with you to share what you know and what you have seen. The Museum is open Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. No reservations are needed after 4 p.m. or on weekends. Admission is free; parking is $5.00. See you soon!