George BellowsAmerican, 1882–1925Barricade
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Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the work
In this scene, American realist painter George Bellows constructed a terrifying scenario of German World War I forces using naked civilians as human shields. Though he never saw war firsthand, Bellows’s engagement with the subject grew from documentary reports on the atrocities reported in the American press. Reportedly, this image and the one that accompanies it, Bacchanale, were both based on eyewitness accounts from the 1915 Bryce Report, which recorded hundreds of stories of the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914. The testimonies published in the Bryce Report’s 320-page Appendix A included some sensationalist accounts of mutilations and rapes for which there is no other evidence. The series War, which chronicled these crimes, consisted of 5 oil paintings, 20 lithographic prints, and more than 30 related drawings.
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In this image, the sharp Picklehauben helmets, heavy uniforms, and gleaming bayonet contrast with the soft vulnerability of exposed human flesh. The exaggeratedly large arms and hands of the victims, which are raised to the sky, call attention to their subjugation and acquiescence.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1950.1651
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of George Bellows
The whole life1916
A lithography press in his studio
He installs a lithography press in his studio and makes a significant contribution to establishing lithography as a fine art in the United States.
1918
The quarrel with Pennell: who may paint a war
The artist Joseph Pennell argues that, since Bellows did not witness the events he painted, he has no right to paint them; Bellows replies that he had not known Leonardo da Vinci “had a ticket to paint the Last Supper”.
1919
Teaches at the Art Institute of Chicago
In 1919 he teaches at the Art Institute of Chicago.
1920
Builds a house in Woodstock
From 1920 he spends nearly half of each year in Woodstock, New York, where he builds a home for his family.
1920
“Men of the Docks” bought for the Maier Museum
Students and locals raise $2,500 to buy “Men of the Docks” for the Maier Museum of Art, the first masterpiece in its collection (now at Randolph College).
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