Artist Thesis: George Bellows



Artist Thesis: George Bellows

Thesis Statement:

“How did George Bellows see the natural world as a partition of modern industrial life through his works?”

Introduction

This research paper is an attempt to analyze two works of the American realist painter George Bellows. He is the most acclaimed American painters of his generation, and is known for the bold manner in which he captured urban or natural life as a political precursor of times to come. Bellows studied urban life thoroughly as part of his education, for which he later become known for, He was also a teacher at the Arts Students League of New York in 1909. Bellows used different themes in his works, such as social and political, in which he tried to show the stark contrasts between the upper and middle classes of the working class of New York. He used the elements of light and texture to interpret scenes in New York that he thought were worth putting down on canvas and became known for his paintings of New York swathed in snow, while also using dark, grimy atmospheres as his subject in order to depict lower-class New York.

Discussion

George Bellows

It is very intricate to relate and set up the position of a contemporary artist to the art of his time. In order to do justice with the work of any artist it is important to observe from a certain distance. Today the developed America is elaborating new elements of Art by taking inspiration from its history. George Bellows (1882-1925) is said to be the one of the first painters of America as he had his style of working which is the lyric expression of the American life especially of that time when it was at verge of development. He came to New York to study art and made his name in paintings and printmaking. Later he started depicting the city and its life. He used to take the characters from the vigorous life of New York. In his art, a power, fascination along with the violence can be observed. He handled colors and materials in a more sophisticated way than his colleagues. He depicted street children, boxers and urban landscape in his work which he did in black and white rough drawing with charcoal or crayons.

He made his best drawings for The Masses. He was so ambitious that in his teenage he became a member of editorial board and also used to participate in the gatherings of different artists and activists. In the political debates of The Masses he used to express his sincerity for independence of art and artists from any policy of editorial. He did this work through his painting in which urban scenes, social satire and political commentary were portrayed. Though he continued to paint fight scenes along with other city subjects but his art took several directions after few years. He painted landscapes and seascapes also and gained much praise like before.

Cliff dwellers, New York etc are the examples of his city ...