George Bellows - by Kristin L Spangenberg (Hardcover)

About the Book

"George Bellows (1882-1925) was a painter, illustrator and printmaker. His career already established, in late 1915 he turned to lithography. Over the next nine years he almost single-handedly elevated lithography to a fine art in America. The inherent flexibility of the process, its potential for drawing in vigorous strokes and its richness of tone were well suited to his style. The subjects that fascinated him range from intimate studies of his family and friends to snap shots of American life, the atrocities of World War I and what first caught the public's attention: boxing. All were new and undeniably American. George Bellows: American Life in Print features two essays. Firstly "George Bellows: Advocate for Lithography" followed by an in depth examination of sixty-six lithographs and drawings. The second essay explores the artist's rise to fame in "George Bellows and the 'Art Palace of the West,'" focusing on his long term relationship with the Cincinnati Art Museum and its Annual Exhibition of American Art"

Book Synopsis

A major new volume celebrating the lithographs of George Wesley Bellows, regarded as one of America's greatest artists.

George Bellows (1882-1925) was a painter, illustrator, and printmaker. His career established, in late 1915 he turned to lithography. Over the next nine years he almost single-handedly elevated lithography in America to a fine art. The inherent flexibility of the process, its potential for drawing in vigorous strokes and its richness of tone were well suited to his style. The subjects that fascinated him range from intimate studies of his family and friends to snap shots of American life, the atrocities of World War I, and what first caught the public's attention, Boxing. All were new and undeniably American. George Bellows; American Life in Print features two essays: "Bellows, Advocate for Lithography" with in depth examination of sixty-six lithographs and drawings. A second essay explores the artist's rise to fame in "Bellows and the 'Art Palace of the West, '" focusing on his long term relationship with the Cincinnati Art Museum and it's "Annual Exhibition of American Art."

Review Quotes

"In the final decade of his quick-paced but foreshortened life, he added lithography to his combination of painter-illustrator, knocking out hundreds of prints of urban life as well as depictions of the civilian horrors of World War I. George Bellows: American Life in Print, a new volume by Kristin L. Spangenberg, reveals the haunting energy of these innovative works."--James Panero, The New Criterion

About the Author

Kristin L. Spangenbergbis curator of Prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She has more than 40 years of experience in her field, having previously served as Assistant Curator of Prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Assistant Curator of Graphic Arts at the Detroit Institute of Art. She is a member of the Print Council of America and the Circus Historical Society.