Museum of Contemporary Art | San Diego Review

Located at 700 Prospect St. La Jolla, CA 92037
Near the coast of downtown La Jolla stands the Museum of Contemporary Art.
What is Contemporary Art?
The definition of contemporary is "belonging to or occurring in the present." In terms of time, Contemporary Art is created from the 1960s to the present day.
The Contemporary artist focuses on an idea and conveys this to the observer.
Whether it is aesthetically pleasing or not is up to you when looking at it.
Many of the art pieces
are almost blank canvases.
We think, "I could do that"
or "I can paint that."
Maybe the artist's intent is to get a reaction out of us while we are contemplating what the work means. This most certainly produces something in the present moment; a thought or perception,
long after the artist has painted the last line or sculpted the final section of their work.
Minimalism is an art form that developed in the 1950s and 1960s. It is identified by geometric shapes, straight lines, and simple design.
It was created in opposition to the previous
abstract expressionism which used spontaneous action painting
and gestural brush strokes.
Notice the single line going off the edge of this canvas. What is its significance?
Some Contemporary Art asks the observer
to deduce what was going on with the artist's thoughts
at the time of creation.
Or why were certain brush strokes made
or one line of paint followed
as opposed to another.
As an outside observer, it's intriguing and sometimes
baffling to see very simple artistic creations that fetch extremely high prices at auction.
This one, not the one being carried, but the one on the left which reminds us of the current situation in Ukraine, sold for $46.5 million in 2015.
Another is Orange, Red, Yellow again on the left, which attained an auction price of $86 million.
Those two serve as proof that monetary value and beauty
are truly in the eye of the beholder and much to the benefit of the artist being appreciated.
Do you agree it takes talent to compose art that challenges our minds and excites our imaginations?
Is it strange some minimalist art attains accolades and attention even with seemingly
little effort on the part of the artist?
Contemporary Art attempts to pull its observer into the present moment to consider what is seen before them and to reflect on what is happening in real time.
What motivates an artist to create?
Art can be made to depict reality. In this piece entitled "The City" by Ethel Fisher
we can see a red sun in the corner, a white and grey crosswalk, a purple door leading somewhere, and a white vehicle passing by.
The artist is not here to tell us what everything is, so it is up to us to interpret what we perceive.
Art gives the artist freedom to experiment with new media or new elements.
"Diamond Column" by De Wain Valentine bends the surrounding light making the center portion blurred.
It appears to create an ominous portal into another world or a shadow we normally see only in our peripheral vision.
"Dance Me, Dance You 2" has the trademark hanging or draped canvases of Sam Gilliam.
He experimented by painting polyester and eliminating any frame, leaving the pliable fabric to settle with gravity rather than stretch out like a painting.
This allows observers to experience a typically two-dimensional art piece in three dimensions.
From inside the art gallery, the view out a window itself becomes a living work of art, changing with position and time.
Art allows an outlet for an artist to express feelings or ideas.
It is our job as observers to figure out what message is being communicated.
Is that a black and white dog or bats in front of two ghosts?
A title and a small description helps sometimes.
This one is called "Another Autumn Goodbye" and shows the change from brush to knife edge;
much like how the seasons change from autumn to winter showing the cyclical passage of time.
With only the art piece and no title, it's possible we can misinterpret them.
This looks like some colorful patterned vinyl plank flooring.
A man in gray breakdancing on the floor while a woman in green points a rifle at him.
A gray fox on the right sitting against a red and black tree.
Perhaps some artists want to be misinterpreted as long as they can use their art to express themselves.
Whether it's by painting on canvas,
pouring fields of color and letting them run together,
or shaping and sculpting wood or metal into a desired shape.
Art can be used as a commentary on our lives with all its obstacles and consolations.
"Black Light" by Mely Barragan has several cords draping from the left and entering the canvas on the right.
At the time, she was recovering from a series of medical procedures, and these cords appear to be entering a torso.
The black floral pattern seems to represent a blouse. There is also a mysterious written reference to a lip brush possibly for lipstick.
Anna Sew Hoy dedicated this elaborate "Tissue Dispensing" box for filmmaker Stom Sogo when he passed away unexpectedly.