Bellows, George Wesley (1882-1925), was a leading American artist of the early 1900’s. He is noted for paintings of boxing matches, the New York City area, and seascapes, and for portraits of his wife and daughters.
Bellows was born on Aug. 12, 1882, in Columbus, Ohio. He moved to New York City in 1904, where he studied painting with the painter and teacher Robert Henri. Bellows’s studio was near Tom Sharkey’s club. There, Bellows saw the professional prize fights that inspired two of the most powerful paintings ever done of fighters in action–Both Members of This Club (1909) and Stag at Sharkey’s (1909). Bellows often went to Long Island to paint the sea in its harshest moods. His many paintings of his family show his ability to depict character and mood. He created lively views of New York City in a rich, thickly textured style. He also was largely responsible for the revival of lithography in the United States. He died on Jan. 8, 1925.
