Chocolate Lean 2010

Ralph Goings made this small painting of two doughnuts, likely sometime in the early 2000's. Goings was a photorealist, meaning that he made paintings that look like photographs, but the movement also served as social commentary. It began in the United States in the late 1960s, a time when cultural critics like Roland Barthes were writing about the 'Empire of Signs'. Photorealists like Goings challenged the dominance of abstract expressionism, and Pop Art by drawing attention to overlooked, everyday objects. This painting of doughnuts is an instance of highlighting mass-produced goods while also acknowledging the social rituals that surround these. It invites us to reflect on the cultural meanings embedded in the seemingly mundane. By exploring sources from cookbooks to corporate archives, the historian can provide insight into the role of art in shaping and reflecting our relationship to the world of food, commerce, and consumerism.