Cruiser 

Dan Graziano's painting of a red bicycle is rendered with thick strokes of oil paint. The composition is both intimate and slightly detached from the subject, raising questions about the culture of urban transport. The 'Cruiser' is a familiar object; here it is shown locked to a post in what we might assume is a city. Bicycles have, of course, played a central role in the history of mobility and are currently at the heart of debates around environmentalism, social justice, and urban planning. What does it mean for Graziano to focus our attention on this particular object? Is this a celebration of a progressive mode of transport? Or is it a more ambivalent portrayal of urban life in an era of ecological crisis? We need to research the reception of cycling in American culture to fully understand Graziano's painting, but by focusing our attention on its historical and political context, we can start to unpack its significance.