Roses and Perimmons 1920

William Glackens made this oil on canvas still life, entitled ‘Roses and Persimmons’. It’s interesting to consider this painting in light of Glackens’ wider artistic output and political views. Although he is known for his scenes of modern city life, this work presents a more conventional, perhaps even conservative, subject matter. Glackens belonged to the artistic group known as ‘The Eight,’ also referred to as the Ashcan School, who sought to represent the realities of urban life in America at the turn of the century. They often depicted the lives of working-class people, and challenged the dominance of academic art. Glackens was also politically engaged, and supported socialist causes. In this context, we might ask whether the painting of roses and persimmons represents a departure from Glackens' more socially conscious work. Is it a retreat into a more traditional mode of artistic expression? Or does it offer a different kind of commentary on American society, perhaps hinting at the beauty that can be found even in the most ordinary of settings? In answering these questions, scholars draw on historical archives, artistic manifestos, and biographical sources.