The hustle and bustle of New York fascinated Bellows (Adams). He began to study under Robert Henri at the New York School of Art, who encouraged him to paint the scenes of everyday New York city life. In doing so, he followed in the steps of a group of artists that would become known as the Ashcan School, so named after the less appealing side of urban life they were willing to depict. He also began a friendship with his future wife Emma Story (Haverstock 26-27).
One of Bellows’ first paintings to receive notice by the wider art community was his work of oil on canvas titled “River Rats,” completed in 1906. This painting depicts a large group of young people playing in the polluted East River, flanked by a colossal mound of waste dirt and mud. In “River Rats,” we see the quick, bold strokes that are characteristic of his work. In this painting and others, Bellows emphasizes the atmosphere and energy of the scene over human detail. However, he had mastered his method to point where a large amount of detail seems to come through even though his style, at first glance, seems too bold and rushed to allow for it. “River Rats” was accepted by the National Academy in 1907 for display in their exhibit (Haverstock 33, 37).
Bellows married Emma Story on Friday, September 23, 1909 (Haverstock 65). Emma Story was a strong-willed woman; although she loved him she took time to respond to his proposal and only agreed to marriage after his father promised to buy them a home to live in. Emma would go on to tirelessly promote her husband’s work after his death and help assure his legacy (Peltakian).
Both Bellows and his teacher Henri became frustrated at the unwillingness of the established art community to exhibit independent art (Haverstock 37). While the National Academy showed several of Bellows’ works over the years, it wouldn’t be until the 1910 Exhibition of Independent Artists that Ashcan artists could truly put their vision before the public—and the public loved it. An anonymous Times critic put it this way: “…they have managed to fashion a most inspiring kind of romance out of the fabric of our contemporary local conditions…” (qtd. in Haverstock 62)
If the American art establishment was unsure how to handle Ashcan artists such as Bellows, they were in for a shock at the Association of American Painters and Sculptors 1913 Armory show, of which George Bellows was a principal organizer. It had been decided that the show would be international in nature. To this end, works were brought in from Europe, mostly Paris, to supplement American artists such as Bellows. What the organizers saw shocked them—European art was so far advanced of American art that Ashcan art paled in comparison. William Zorach remarked that this show was “devastating to the complaisant American.” Works such as Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2” opened the eyes of New York and America to modern art (Haverstock 84-86).
The time was ripe for Bellows’ work. The 1913 Armory show had been a sensation, and American critics were now ready with praise for what Bellows had to offer. In May of 1913, a few months after the show, he was given the status of Academician in the National Academy (Haverstock 87). He was also in demand as an illustrator for periodicals such as Harper’s Weekly, and even did work for H.G. Wells (Haverstock 94-95, “George Bellows”).
Bellows went on to win a total of fifteen awards and volunteer his artistic talents to the American cause in World War I before dying of complications from appendicitis on Thursday, January 8, 1925 (Peltakian, Haverstock 120-122, 150).
In the rest of this paper, I will review George Bellows' work “The Knock Out.” This artwork was performed in pastel and ink on paper in 1907, and measures 21 ¾ in by 28 in. I am basing my review of this piece on a reproduction of it on page 38 of the book “George Bellows” by Mary Haverstock.
The scene depicts the final knockout of a boxing match. We see the defeated boxer face down on the ring, spent, while the victorious boxer is standing with the help of the referee, almost equally spent. From the left of the ring we see another important character, the physician, reaching intently towards the fallen boxer to address his wounds. The atmosphere is tense as the crowd awaits the official signal that the match is over.
The crowd itself is a teeming mass of excitement. Most spectators are looking intently into the ring, while a couple of spectators appear to be conversing with their neighbors. The faces of the crowd range from “alright!” to “oh, no,” and so it seems we can tell which spectators are on the side of the winner, and which are on the side of the loser.
Far in the background we can make out two windows at the far end of the building. The perspective gives us the impression of a large, packed hall. Detail fades as we get back towards the windows, but we can still make out individual audience members raising their hands and hats or even standing.
The crowd in the front of the ring at the bottom of this scene is almost entirely black and white. The ring features browns and grays and even a small patch of bright blue on the physician's vest. As we make our way to the far back, Bellows uses gray to give the effect of haze.
This work appears rather monochrome at first. This is due to the use of ink and pastel. We see the ink lines and because the pastels used are lightly saturated and restricted to brown, blue, gray, and black, we almost miss the color at first glance. The colors in the ring are the brightest, giving the impression that a light has been aimed upon it.
The use of ink and pastel superbly catches the action and energy of this scene. The defined ink lines help portray the rugged bodies of the boxers, the outstretched physician, and some of the more interesting spectators. Bellows' use of the brush here, as in his other works, lays down bold, quick strokes, which not only provides the color but also gives a sense of energy and motion. Both pastel and ink are used throughout the work; however, both are most prominent in the ring. As we move outward, the ink lines are lighter, and the pastel shades are more subdued.
While several of his boxing scenes are some of his best known works, Bellows was not an expert at boxing—his only intent was to portray the event (Athineos). One thing to remember in interpreting Bellows' work is that he strove to present life as it is, no matter how common, off-putting, or trivial the subject may seem to be. His art has an “anecdotal” quality (Fagg). Therefore, what I see most in “The Knock Out” are lessons on life in general.
There is not much, visually, to differentiate the winner from the loser, other than position. The winner or loser could be you or I. The point is that they both needed support; the winner from the referee, and the loser from the physician. No matter out circumstances we need the support of others.
Both boxers are exhausted from the match. They have given their all. The crowd, overall, seems thrilled by the match. In our efforts, be they winning or losing, we ought to give it our best, and leave a definite legacy and impression upon those we have the opportunity to influence.
The crowd is boisterous and ranging from excited and supportive to apprehensive and disheartened to blissfully lost in the moment. In this we are reminded that you can't please everyone. Some will support you, some will be against you, and some will hang around only as long as they are having a good time.
Sometimes you are one of the crowd. Remember to respect the efforts of the notable men who inspire you and place their lives in front of you. However, also remember that they are men like you. Don't give in to hero worship but learn to appreciate their humanity in its entirety. See their successes and failures both as normal occurrences.
While it seemed to take the Armory show of 1913 to crack open the American mind to it, it was the existing work of Bellows and the other Ashcan School artists that gave much of the essential form to early modern American art. George Wesley Bellows did much to advance its cause, and also give voice to the small human interests that make up our everyday world (Fagg 478-479).
Works Cited
Adams, Henry. "Biography." George Bellows Family Trust. Web. 29 July 2010.
Athineos, Doris. "Boxiana." Forbes. 22 May 1995: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 29 Jul. 2010.
Fagg, J.. "Anecdote and the Painting of George Bellows." Journal of American Studies 38.3 (2004): 473-488. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 29 Jul. 2010.
"George Bellows." Ohio History Central. Ohio Historical Society, 1 July 2005. Web. 29 July 2010.
Haverstock, Mary Sayre. George Bellows: an Artist in Action. London: Merrell, 2007. Print.
Peltakian, Danielle. "George Bellows (1882-1925) - American Ashcan School Painter." Sullivan Goss. Web. 29 July 2010.
