George Bellows

This afternoon I went to the exhibition George Bellows (1882-1925): Modern American Life at the Royal Academy. I was already familiar with the artist after I worked on a book about Bellows a few years ago when I was working as a designer at a book publishers, so it was interesting to see his work in person.

Bellows painted images of New York's urban life and landscapes and some of his most visceral pieces "record the clandestine, often brutal fights that were organised by private clubs in New York to circumvent a state ban on public boxing". I was really drawn to these paintings, with their expressive brushstrokes and dramatic lighting, and drew a sketch of "Stag at Sharkey's" (1909) - depicting a fight taking place at the Sharkey Athletic Club opposite Bellow's studio...