San Diego Mission

Josephine Joy, San Diego Mission, ca. 1935-1939, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.45
Copied Josephine Joy, San Diego Mission, ca. 1935-1939, oil on fiberboard, 39 3⁄4 x 48 in. (101.0 x 122 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.45
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
San Diego Mission
Artist
Date
ca. 1935-1939
Location
Dimensions
39 3⁄4 x 48 in. (101.0 x 122 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from General Services Administration
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project — California
  • Landscape — California — San Diego
  • Architecture — religious — mission
  • Figure male — full length
Object Number
1971.447.45
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1971.447.45

Artwork Description

Josephine Joy’s paintings combine direct observation and imaginative design. This is especially evident in this painting of the Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of California’s twenty-one missions. Founded in 1769, the building underwent renovations in 1931. Certain features of San Diego Mission are drawn from the renovation, while others appear much older. The newly built bell tower contrasts with the cracked and exposed brick and the aged building to the right. Joy painted San Diego Mission while working with the WPA's Southern California Art Project in Los Angeles from 1936 to 1939.