George Bellows, Stag at Sharkey’s,1909, oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x48 1/4 in. (92 x 122.6 cm) Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection, Acquired in 1922, The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Ash Can School also known as “The Eight” in New York City was rising up in the early 1900’s. The eight artists included in The Ash Can School were called this because the critics said there is nothing they wouldn’t paint. The critics say these artists would paint anything, even an ash can. However, they were not only known for painting just anything, but they had yet another nickname. They were called the Apostles of Ugliness because there is nothing aesthetically pleasing about these artists’ paintings. Although George Bellows was not one of “The Eight,” he learned after them.
George Bellows was the 1st student of “The Eight,” and he took their approach of modern-industrial capitalist life and became a part of the 2nd generation of ash can painters. In this particular painting the viewer is looking at leisure and boxing. At this time there was a role change to some degree, and the men of this time were working full time which caused the women to stay home and do all of the housework and take care of the children. This left no outlet for men at this time, thus they would find a way to set aside family responsibility and work in order to do something leisurely. For many men at this time boxing was a popular leisure sport.
In this painting we are aware of gender roles and the textuality of this particular painting. In my opinion this is a very masculine painting, but I believe that the women of this time probably felt the same way or possibly held even more dislike of it than men did. I feel that they probably felt that it was not fair to some extent. However, these days I am sure that men feel it is not right for women to be able to be in the same positions as men in the workforce. Nevertheless, this painting shows much detail in its composition. I really like what it is saying regardless of the masculinity of it.
If you click the links below you will get a chance to look at boxing in the early 1900’s, and you will see that there are no women present in either one of these videos. These are examples of popular leisure during the early 20th century. These videos also include some of the famous boxers of this time. It is interesting to see how they dressed in comparison with boxers of today’s 21st century boxing outfits. I hope you enjoy watching at least some of these two tributes!
A very similar piece of art to this one is the one shown below.
Boston – Back Bay: Boston Public Library McKim Building – Wiggin Gallery Dioramas – George Bellows’ Stag at Sharkeys
The one difference we see here is that Bellows is shown in the foreground as a viewer of his own painting. I really like the clay-like composition of this work. I think it makes this piece come to life. According to wallyg, “Located in a dark corner in the Wiggins Gallery, twelve dioramas created by Louis Stimson in the 1940’s depict artists in the midst of painting some of their most famous works.” This makes the painting all that more interesting in my opinion. I think it is neat how one artist can incorporate another artist into his painting while it also being the subject matter of the other artist’s painting. It is an inspiring piece of art that really brings the reality of life into perspective.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/4900353812/
I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as I have, and make sure to stop by the gallery to view George Bellows, Stag at Sharkey’s! Please feel free to leave any comments or opinions you have about this art blog! I look forward to hearing your feedback! Thank you for your time!
-Gallery 9310, The Owner
Gallery 9310 