Cafe Scene

A glowing cigarette ember pinpoints the center of this café scene by William Glackens. Tilted hat brims and strokes of dark red highlight the trio conversing in the foreground. Around them, the painter's swift, loose brush draws extremes of light and shadow, bringing to life the buzz of social and intellectual activity in a late nineteenth-century café. Café Scene demonstrates Glackens' early interest in defining modern art through realism—the idea that everyday events are viable subjects for painting.