Ralph Fasanella

Diner

Oil on Canvas, 1980

Fasanella’s constant search for a stimulating social life led him to frequent a couple of different Ardsley eateries, including the Dobbs Ferry Diner, which this painting depicts. Fasanella would often arrive at the diner at five A.M. looking for people. Although he sometimes found interesting people to talk culture and politics with him, the routine of the diner was not stimulating enough to hold his attention for long. Fasanella’s painting Diner is a relatively quiet scene. Seen in one of the artist’s characteristic cutaway views, several customers sit at the counter sipping coffee and eating breakfast while others engage in conversation. The solitude that pervades this painting stands in marked contrast to the New York City paintings and attests to the challenge of finding cultural and intellectual stimulation in a quiet suburban town.