The Mesa College Art gallery presents its first exhibit of the semester. They will showcase 46 paintings from local San Diego artist Alfredo Antognini, entitled enTangoed memories, through September 30.

Antognini was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and then moved to La Jolla in 1977 with his wife, running from a world where artists and intellectuals often went “missing.” Both of these cultures that he has lived in come to life in his work. His work uses color so vibrant one cannot help but to be drawn in and immersed in the art.

In the exhibit you will see Antognini’s artistic variety being showcased in his oil painting that range from sensual tango dancers, sun bathers, nude portraits, and pears. While many of his paintings are inspired by the beautiful dancers and music in Argentina, he admits that he is a horrible dancer, first learning the waltz and the foxtrot.

However you do not need to be a dancer to appreciate the spirit of the tango, which is depicted in his painting The Witness. If you look closely, you can find that Antognini painted himself in the corner, watching the scene, almost ghostly.

When asked what artistic inspirations he found in California, Antognini replied, “I was impressed by the beach.”

Antognini is a very joyful and kind man, emotionally invested in each piece of art, whether it be a still-life or a religious piece. This is one of the reasons Gallery Director, Alessandra Moctezuma, chose him for this exhibit. She wanted the students here to fall in love with his work just as she did.

Initially she was supposed to choose only 20 pieces when visiting his in-home studio, but ended up leaving with 46. Moctezuma’s reasoning was that she wanted viewers to be “overwhelmed by his work,” just like every inch of his house. She also wanted to showcase his brilliant use of color and his accurate still-lifes.

Some of the actual objects that Antognini painted on are display, such as a tea kettle and a ceramic bowl.

One student admiring the art, Eduardo Canelon, commented that Idola Theatri was his favorite piece, which is an allusion to religion. After talking to the artist himself for a few minutes Canelon said, “I love artists who take the time to give back.”

Another potentially controversial piece in the exhibit is entitled The Death of the Dove. Antognini seemed particularly excited about talking about this painting. He remarked at how war is so romanticized that after a while scandals aren’t really scandals anymore. “War is disgusting…It makes me so angry,” says Antognini, trying to show his audience that war is not, in fact, beautiful.

All of Antognini’s paintings on display are for sale, prices ranging from $500 to $15,000. Enjoy the colorful display here on campus while you can!