What's the Story Here?

Last summer, 16 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns collaborated with the Getty Museum’s Department of Manuscripts on Our Voices, Our Getty: Reflecting on Manuscripts, a current exhibition featuring the students’ candid, creative takes on medieval depictions of nature.

The manuscript images they wrote about had never before been shown at the Getty Center.

Here’s a look into how seven of the interns interpreted the manuscript images.

Jonathan Wong-Hayden, University of Southern California
The Moon Represented as a Woman on Horseback

When I think of the moon, I think of the story of the Jade Hare (玉兔) and my favorite song by Phoebe Bridgers (“Moon Song”). But this manuscript pictures the moon as a woman in a billowy green dress on horseback. There was a medieval belief that it would take eight thousand years of walking to reach the highest starry heaven. Is that what she’s trotting toward?

Zohar Kennard, Rhode Island School of Design
Zodiacal Sign of Pisces

“It’s because you’re a Pisces”—words that still echo from my dad, a self-proclaimed astrologist who finds answers in the stars. My parents’ separation, my brother’s arrest, my college acceptance—all ascribed to celestial movements, seemingly at random. Gazing at the symbolic fish in this manuscript, representing the sign my father and I share, I am reminded that sometimes it’s comforting to assign meaning to something greater than ourselves.

Chloe Wilson, University of California, Irvine
Hunters Examining a Deer’s Hoofprints

Hunters cower in the underbrush, clutching hewn totems in their palms and whispering prayers. The forest is unnaturally quiet, save for distant hoof-falls. Branch-like antlers tower over the tree line, approaching. The hunters raise their voices, begging for divine salvation from creatures they once considered prey. But their pleas are answered only by guttural howls from ancient beasts who preexisted faith itself.

Alejandro Caminos, California Institute of the Arts
Saint John on Patmos

These illustrations of flora and fauna highlight nature’s vital role. I remember hiking through pristine forests, witnessing nature’s grandeur and resilience, and experiencing a deep connection with the natural world akin to a mother bird protecting her young. To me, the intricate imagery surrounding the central scene reflects the complexity and beauty of our lives, a parallel between nature’s cycles and our human journey.

Enrique Del Rivero Ferrer, California State University, Fullerton
Creation Scenes

The medieval imagery of nature’s creation made me reflect on growing up in Los Angeles, where nature felt out of place, overshadowed by human creations, and confined to images and videos, with food processed beyond recognition. When I encountered plants and wildlife, it felt surreal, making nature’s miracles seem almost alien.

Bartholomew Chu, University of Southern California
Canon Table Page

To my family, friends, and teachers: Even when we are a page apart, our roots keep us connected. Under your light, my soul grew into a garden—and to my surprise, the birds began to visit me. Some have flown away, but those that stayed have watched over me and become the foundation of my kingdom.

Maya Janaswamy, University of California, Los Angeles
Constellations

Dear Grandpa,
In your last weeks, I lowered my gaze to your earthly body while I prayed; now that you have passed, I raise my eyes to the sky to find you. I hope the constellations seen in this medieval book—Andromeda, Perseus, Aries—are keeping you company. Rest well together with the stars, as you all vanish with the orange blush of daybreak.

Our Voices, Our Getty: Reflecting on Manuscripts runs through April 27, 2025 at the Getty Center.