La Jolla Shores 1931

Editor: This is "La Jolla Shores" painted by Charles Reiffel in 1931. It’s an oil painting that gives me a cheerful, summery feeling. There's a real sense of leisure with the beachgoers. What can you tell me about the processes involved here, especially considering Reiffel’s background? Curator: Given Reiffel’s history of working class and socialist leanings, viewing this through a materialist lens proves fascinating. It isn't simply a celebration of leisure. Consider the materiality itself - oil paint, mass produced, widely accessible by this time. Plein-air painting became increasingly popular. What does that accessibility mean when we consider who gets to represent these leisure scenes? Editor: So, you're saying the very materials and Reiffel’s approach of painting outside democratized art making itself? It becomes less about the elite patron and more about direct representation of daily life, and its labor. Curator: Precisely. We see here, a specific mode of production of an artwork— en plein air. The painting becomes not just a landscape, but also an object created in relation to and reliant upon those changing social and material conditions. The availability and distribution of paint affects art and culture. Editor: That's a neat way to frame it. I'm now looking at this work less as a straightforward impression, and more about the economic and social context that enabled its creation, and shaped its very image of leisure. Curator: Exactly! Consider where the paints are sourced. Are they local or imported? How might Reiffel's choice to depict La Jolla Shores in this manner reflect the values and labor practices associated with California at that time? Editor: Thinking about it that way opens up a whole other layer of analysis I wouldn't have considered at first glance. It makes you wonder about all those little figures enjoying the beach - who are they and what do they do? Curator: Right? It reminds us that art isn't created in a vacuum. Instead, “La Jolla Shores” is really an outcome of its specific time and place, dependent on manufacturing processes. Editor: I’m going to be asking myself these questions about process for now on. Thanks!