In
1969, thousands of peace-loving music devotees gathered near a small town in
the Catskills for what was to become a landmark in American cultural history.
The Woodstock that George Bellows knew and loved, half a century earlier, was
an altogether smaller affair. But for many of the artists who came to work
there, it represented an equally potent source of inspiration.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The first artists’ colony in
Woodstock was established in 1902, and by the time Bellows arrived in the
spring of 1920 it hosted a lively community. He came with his family to visit
Eugene Speicher, an old friend from his art school days, and was instantly hooked.
The easy company of like-minded artists, the fresh mountain air, and the
beautiful surroundings offered welcome respite against the hustle and bustle of
New York City. And he soon arranged to rent accommodation for the whole of the
summer.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Returning again the next year, he
decided to purchase some land, and by 1922 had built his own house. Over the
next few years he was to spend most of his summers and autumns there until his
sudden death in 1925 from a ruptured appendix. He was only 42, in mid-career.
But he had left an indelible mark on the landscape of American art.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Leaving For The Country: George
Bellows at Woodstock, curated by Marjorie Searl and City Newspaper freelancer Ron Netsky for the Memorial Art Gallery,
is the first major exhibition to explore this final period of Bellows’ life.
Many critics have neglected work from this time in favor of Bellows’ earlier
reputation-building canvases, namely his boxing scenes and Ashcan-influenced
depictions of urban life. In a review in Time magazine in 1996, Robert Hughes went so far as to declare that “his best
paintings were finished by 1913.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย This was the year of the famous
Armory show, which Bellows helped to organize, and the French cubist art that
he saw there seems to have sparked a deeper interest in art theory. For Hughes,
this was a slippery slope that “did his art no good.” The popular
perception of Bellows both now and during his own lifetime is of a large
athletic man — he was an enthusiastic coach for the Woodstock baseball team
— who painted his immediate surroundings with gusto and vigor. He was a
passionate pragmatist, not a sensitive thinker. The truth, of course, is not so
black and white.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In 1917, Bellows became aware of the
teachings of Jay Hambidge, whose theory of Dynamic Symmetry advocated a
rigorous system of proportion based on geometric principles. Bellows quickly
assimilated these ideas into his work, and the requisite lines, grids, and
circles can be seen structuring the preparatory sketches for the large triple
portrait of his aunt, daughter, and mother, entitled Elinor, Jean, and Anna (1920).
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Critics are sometimes disappointed
that Bellows, the no-nonsense painter of American life, could have
“fallen” so easily for these constricting theories. Was he succumbing
to pressures to be more “modern” or “European?” Perhaps he
was. But Bellows was able to appreciate Hambidge’s system on an entirely
practical level: Elinor, Jean, and Anna turned
out to be one of his best portraits. The proof was in the pudding, so to speak.
And contemporary critics fell over themselves to congratulate him. One of them,
John Jay Chapman, declared it “a national treasure and monument,”
adding, “I feel like going and selling all that I have to buy it!”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย On the other hand, many of Bellows’
portraits from this time are somewhat wooden by comparison. In fact, the
strength of this exhibition lies where you might expect it: in the landscapes.
One of Bellows’ most famous pictures from this period, The White Horse (1922), presents a swooping vista of an eerie
landscape, side-lit by a sinking sun. The horse faces away from us towards a
stormy horizon and the whole is suffused with an almost electrical sense of
anticipation, as if waiting for the thunder-crack after a flash of lightning.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย A calmer note is struck by the
lesser-known but equally impressive Trout
Stream and Mountains (1920), an elegy of lush greens, muddy browns, and
steely blues in which a fisherman stands silently contemplating his lot in the
foreground. Both these pictures employ Dynamic Symmetry, most notably in the
slashing angular formations in the skies. Thisdislocation
of natural forms, moving away from direct observation of nature, also seems to
represent a shift for Bellows onto a more
thoughtful, philosophical plane.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The last room in the show is
dominated by Two Women (1924), which
carries an even heavier symbolic load. Based on Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, the two women sit next to each other on a
Victorian love seat, one naked holding a rosary, the other clothed holding a
handbag. Finished only months before Bellows’ own death it shows him once again
exploring new territory. You can only wonder at how his work might have
progressed had he lived. It’s an odd piece, and the brash allegorical content
mixed with Bellows’ garish choice of colors — clashing purples and greens,
yellows, and blues — makes for a jarring ensemble. I won’t even get into the
appallingly kitschy treatment of the two gallivanting puppies at the bottom
left of the canvas.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Woodstock gave Bellows a chance to
breathe. He spent the colder months of the year in New York, making
lithographic reproductions of earlier paintings. And right up to the end he was
still working on his ever-popular boxing scenes — Dempsey and Firpo was finished in 1924. It was his time in
Woodstock — away from the pressures of the city — that allowed him to push
his art in different directions. Not all of those experiments were successful,
but enough of them were. And that’s all you can ever ask for.
Leaving
For The Country: George Bellows at Woodstock continues
through June 22 at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Avenue. Hours:
Tuesday noon to 4 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 9
p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5
p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: adults $7; college students
with ID and senior citizens $5; children 6 to 18 $3. 473-7720
This article appears in May 7-13, 2003.
