
George Wesley Bellows
Dance in a Mad House, 1917
Property from the Collection of George M. Irwin, Quincy, Illinois
Provenance:
William E. McGuire
…

Ashcan school member George Bellows painted observant, grittily realistic images of early 20th-century urbanity. Though trained in America, he was interested in European art and helped organize the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show. Bellows' portrayals of boxers and tenement dwellers were executed in a loose, somewhat impressionistic style, with bold brushstrokes, thick paint, and a muted color palette. He also painted members of his circle in portraits, as well as seascapes and landscapes of the Northeast. In his later works, Bellows explored more modern ideas of color and composition, before his unexpected death at the height of his prowess due to appendicitis complications.

Property from the Collection of George M. Irwin, Quincy, Illinois
Provenance:
William E. McGuire
Allan Frumkin Gallery, Chicago
Exhibited:
Selections from the Collection of George M. Irwin, Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois, March 2-April 13, 1980

Ashcan school member George Bellows painted observant, grittily realistic images of early 20th-century urbanity. Though trained in America, he was interested in European art and helped organize the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show. Bellows' portrayals of boxers and tenement dwellers were executed in a loose, somewhat impressionistic style, with bold brushstrokes, thick paint, and a muted color palette. He also painted members of his circle in portraits, as well as seascapes and landscapes of the Northeast. In his later works, Bellows explored more modern ideas of color and composition, before his unexpected death at the height of his prowess due to appendicitis complications.