"Stag at Sharkey's," George Bellows, 1909.

Bellows (1882-1925) was an acclaimed Realist artist who was part of the Ashcan School, which sought to capture scenes of everyday life in New York, especially that of the lower and poorer classes. He had Socialist and Anarchist leanings, but also was a fervent supporter of the US's entry in WWI. While some on the left viewed him with suspicion, on the right he created controversy with his anticensorhip views, and his opposition to the persecution of dissenters and conscientious objectors.

When told he had no business depicting the war, because he wasn't there, he shot back, "I had no idea Leonardo da Vinci had a ticket to the Last Supper!"

Here we have one of his Aschan paintings, with a boxing match in full swing. Evidently this is at a private boxing club; the term "stag" refers to a contender who's given a temporary membership so he can take part in a bout. He chose a low perspective to imitate that of someone watching from the crowd. He also confessed he knew nothing of boxing, saying, "I'm just painting two men trying to kill each other."

From the Cleveland Museum of Art.

#Art #AmericanArt #GeorgeBellows #AshcanSchool #Boxing

George Bellows
The Germans Arrive, 1918
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

This blog entry provides the historical context for this horrifying yet masterly picture.

https://mydailyartdisplay.uk/tag/the-germans-arrive-by-george-bellows/

I would add additional observations regarding the atrocity depicted.

As the blogger notes, there was a tendency in the twenties to dismiss this kind o image as just one of the fabrications of allied war propaganda. In more recent years, historians have agreed that the German army did carry out atrocities in Belgium, but the extent, organization, and motivation of these acts are disputed.

We might also see these atrocities in Europe in the context of European imperialism. The Germans were reimporting to Europe the brutalities Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, and, of course, Germany and Belgium themselves had inflicted upon the inhabitants of their empires.

The positioning of the rifles of group on the right suggests that Bellows is making an ironical reference here to "The Surrender of Breda" , commonly known as "The Lances". Goya's depiction of the atrocities in Spain of a century before is another influence at work here.

#GeorgeBellows #WarSeries #Atrocities #FirstWorldWar #Art #Painting #HorrorsOfWar

"Love of Winter," George Bellows, 1914.

Bellows (1882-1925) was an American Realist painter, noted mostly for his canvases set in New York, depicting urban life. But he was just as capable in painting country scenes, as we see here. This may be a fantasy scene; no exact location has been given.

While seemingly a slightly shallow, saccharine image, Bellows does reflect his anarcho-progressive tendencies by showing different social strata mingling on the ice. And the bold technique keeps it from being too cute.

I can't help but wonder if this is a reflection of an idyllic America as clouds of war begin to gather on the horizon. Hard to say.

And remember, it's still winter! We could get another freeze!

From the Art Institute of Chicago.

#Art #AmericanArt #Realism #GeorgeBellows