Before the Journey 1986

Charles Bell made "Before the Journey," a photorealist painting of toys, at some point before his death in 1995. In it, a monkey on a tricycle, a clown on a horse, and another monkey in a car line up as though poised for a race. These are wind-up toys from the mid-twentieth century, but they evoke the playful spirit of earlier eras as well, particularly the circus sideshows of the late 1800s. This was a time when notions of evolution were becoming ingrained in popular culture, and a period of intense racism and colonialism. What does it mean to see these figures, rendered obsolete, lined up? Is Bell commenting on the nostalgia for an American society that was far from innocent? These are just the questions that art historians can consider when looking at any artwork. To find out more, look to social histories and histories of commerce that might shed light on how this painting creates meaning.