Still The One 

Jeff Jamison painted this canvas showing a town square in soft shades of pink and blue. Jamison’s work fits into a long tradition of urban realist painting. One element that may strike you is the way the artist has rendered modern life, the way people socialize in public. In the center we see a couple embracing; to the right, a bicycle propped against two people in conversation; passers-by, perhaps headed home after a night out. It is tempting to wonder if the people are local or tourists. What is the occasion? Is there a reason for the festive lights? We, as historians, can use such clues to examine cultural shifts and social norms. Archival sources, newspaper articles, and photographs can give us insight into how the artist may have wanted to represent city life. Art history shows us that the meaning of art changes according to its social and institutional context.