George Bellows

Happy Birthday George Bellows!! Born in the Columbus, Ohio, USA in 1882, Bellows was a painter working in the Realist style of John Sloan, Grant Wood and Thomas Benton, among others. He falls into the category of “contemporary” art rather than “modern”, as discussed previously with John Sloan. He began work as a commercial artist in college at Ohio State, working on the yearbook. He continued in that vein for a time, gradually moving into realistic painting. He painted urban scenes depicting New York City, creating a series contrasting the stark blue glow of snow on the filthy inner city. His most successful work, though, is considered his fight records, showing many famed boxing matches. The knock out punch of Dempsey against Firpo (1924) is shown below.