Three Tomatoes 

William James Glackens made this painting of three tomatoes with oil on canvas. It is a still life that seems simple enough, but we can see the ways in which the painting is very much of its moment, connected to early twentieth-century trends in art and commerce. Glackens was part of the Ashcan School of American art, which was interested in depicting everyday life in the United States, including the lives of working people. But unlike many of his peers, Glackens also had a successful career as a commercial illustrator for magazines and newspapers. Notice the quick, sketch-like brushstrokes, clearly indebted to Impressionism. This lends a sense of immediacy to the image, as if it was dashed off quickly. The effect could be said to mimic the pace and speed of modern life, but also shows us that Glackens knew his audience would be familiar with these painterly codes. By understanding the artist’s historical context and researching his career in commercial art, we can begin to appreciate the ways the painting’s meaning might have been shaped by the culture of the early twentieth century.