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What is the subject matter of George Bellows’s Cliff Dwellers?
1 Answer

Cliff Dwellers by George Bellows is a painting created in 1913 that’s meant to depict the explosive population growth that New York City was experiencing at the time. Specifically, the painting is of a hot summer’s day in New York City’s Lower East Side. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
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Shop for George Wesley Bellows Art on 1stDibs
red ballboy or Studies for "Tennis Tournament"
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Red Ballboy or Studies for "Tennis Tournament"
Crayon on paper, c. 1920
Unsigned
Condition: three vertical folds created by the artist to transport the drawing from the tennis match ...
Category
1910s Ashcan School Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
"Business-Men's Class, Y.M.C.A." George Bellows, Ashcan School Print
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in New York, NY
George Bellows
Business-Men's Class, Y.M.C.A, 1916
Signed, numbered "No. 41" and titled lower margin
Lithograph on wove paper
11 1/2 x 17 1/8 inches
Edition of 64
Provenance:
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York
Private Collection, Ohio
Literature:
Mason, 20.
After his arrival from Columbus, Ohio in 1904, Bellows lived at the West Side YMCA. It was there that he met Eugene Speicher, another aspiring young artist who was to become his lifelong friend. Always interested in the anatomy of the human body, Bellows often satirized the various types who, while leading a sedentary life, feel compelled to devote a portion of their daily routine to physical self-improvement.
Throughout his brief but illustrious career, George Wesley Bellows created striking scenes that documented ordinary American life in all its beauty and banality. Considered an American Realist, the artist eschewed embellishment, finding inspiration in the gritty boroughs of New York City, the rocky coastline of Maine, and, later, in his friends and family. Bellows garnered early recognition for his arresting portrayals of illegal prizefighting, dramatic works executed in dark tonal palettes that underscore the brutality of the violent sport.
Bellows’ elderly Methodist parents hoped their son might pursue the ministry, a calling the extroverted athlete never received. The Columbus native competed on the baseball team at Ohio State University and also served as an illustrator for the college yearbook. In the fall of 1904—just months shy of his expected graduation—Bellows defied his father’s wishes and boarded a train to New York City in hopes of becoming a magazine illustrator like his idols Howard Chandler Christy and Charles Dana Gibson. Before leaving, he reportedly turned down an offer to play professional baseball with the Cincinnati Reds...
Category
1910s Ashcan School Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper, Lithograph
The Hold Up, First State
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed in pencil by the artist lower right
Titled "Hold Up" by the artist in pencil.
Signed by the printer Bolton Brown lower left.
Edition: 42 in this state
Note: In The Hold Up, se...
Category
1920s American Realist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Sketch of Anne
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Sketch of Anne
Lithograph, 1923-1924
Signed and titled by the artist, signed by his printer Bolton Brown
Edition: 42
Printed by Bolton Brown (see photo of his signature in pencil)
Pr...
Category
1920s Ashcan School Portrait Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The Irish Fair
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Irish Fair
Lithograph, 1923
Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist (see photo)
Titled "Irish Fair" by the artist in pencil
Edition: 84
Housed in an archival frame with acid free matting (see photo)
Provenance:
Estate of the artist, Bellows Family Trust
H.V. Allison & Company (label)
Private Collection, Columbus
References And Exhibitions:
Reference: Mason 153
Note: An illustration commissioned by The Century Company for Don Byrne's novel The Wind Bloweth
Image: 18 7/8 x 21 3/8"
Frame: 29 1/2 x 30 1/2"
“Eleven on a hot July morning, and the little town...
Category
1920s Ashcan School Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The Mouth of Honey
By George Wesley Bellows
Located in Fairlawn, OH
The Mouth of Honey
Lithographic crayon and mixed media on paper mounted to support paper
Initialed by the artist "GB" bottom center on image. (see photo)
Titled in pencil in bottom m...
Category
1920s Ashcan School Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Crayon