Untitled (Lemons and Jar) 1958

Richard Diebenkorn painted this untitled still life with oil on board sometime in the mid to late 20th century. It shows us lemons on a table with a jar. This painting is a window into the everyday life of an American artist working in a period of great social and political change. The mundane subject matter and loose brushstrokes reflect a broader shift in the art world toward abstraction and a focus on personal expression. Diebenkorn came of age as an artist during the Cold War era, a time when American identity was being negotiated and the idea of individual liberty was promoted through popular culture. We might also see the painting as a commentary on consumer culture and the role of everyday objects in shaping identity. To understand this artwork better, we might look at the artist's biography, the social history of California in the postwar period, and the development of abstract expressionism in the American art world, all of which are accessible through institutional archives. Ultimately, the meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.