Back to Basics 

Jeff Jamison created this painting, “Back to Basics,” with oil on canvas. In it, a woman and a bicycle stand out from the urban blur of a modern city street. The title asks us to consider what's being presented as basic. The bicycle has a nostalgic appeal to simpler times, as do the muted colors and impressionistic brushstrokes. It's tempting to see a critique of modern, fast-paced urban life, but it's worth noting that it does so from a privileged position. The woman is well-dressed, with a sophisticated but slightly old-fashioned style. Is this truly "back to basics," or just a romanticized longing for an imagined past? Looking at the artist's background, studying the revival of impressionistic techniques in contemporary art, and researching the cultural symbolism of bicycles could all help us to read the painting as an expression of social attitudes. Art is always made and received in a specific context, and art historians can help us understand that context.