Every action has a purpose. It may be trivial "“ a young man walks five blocks because he needs to buy groceries. Read more...

A visitor walking into the J. Paul Getty Museum's new exhibition "From Start to Finish: De Wain Valentine's Gray Column" will notice a quote from artist De Wain Valentine printed across the wall: "I would like to have some way, a magic saw, to cut out large chunks of ocean or sky and say "˜Here it is.'" In the center of the room stands the towering, prismatic sculpture known as the "Gray Column," the form Valentine, who once taught at UCLA, chose to represent his vision. Read more...

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De Wain Valentine’s creation stands tall at the J. Paul Getty Museum reflecting his fascination with light, the sky and the ocean. The exhibition is part of the “Pacific Standard Time” initiative, featuring works by L.A.-based artists. (Credit: Getty Museum)

To some, a title like "In the Beginning Was the Word: Medieval Gospel Illumination" evokes ideas antithetical to modernity: tradition, religion and non-reproducibility. Read more...

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This crucifixion illustration is a 12th century German example of an illuminated manuscript. It is part of a new collection on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum through Nov. 27.

Credit: J. Paul Getty Museum

For what may be their final performance as the main theater troupe of Santa Monica's Powerhouse Theater, the Los Angeles Theater Ensemble is putting on a free production of Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors." Read more...

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From left to right, Jesse Sharp, Roger Kuch and Justin Gordon perform in the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble’s “Comedy of Errors.”

Courtesy of Seth Miller

A cast of characters that includes five unmarried sisters, a malaria-stricken brother and an illegitimate love child with a constantly disappearing father seems to set a rather sullen tone for the play "Dancing at Lughnasa." Read more...

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Courtesy of Rick Frederick

Even among the other simple drafts and outlines on display, one sketch in the J. Paul Getty Museum's exhibition "Luminous Paper: British Watercolors and Drawings" at the Getty Center seems particularly unfinished. Read more...

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Credit: Kathi & Gary Cypress Collection
“A Larger Valley, Millington,” a watercolor painting by David Hockney, is on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center as part of its “Luminous Paper” exhibition, which runs through Oct. 23.