Lot Essay
Bellows came to New York from Ohio and enrolled in William Merrit Chase's New York Scool of Art where he met Robert Henri in 1904. Under Henri's instruction, Bellow's art matured quickly. Throughout the latter teens, he experimented with a number of techniques and styles, exploring varieties of both composition and color. Two concepts that found continual expression in his work were Jay Hambridge's theory of Dynamic Symmetry and the color system devised by the paint manufacturer, Hardsey Marratta.
Bellows, at the urging of his friend, Eugene Speicher, made his first trip to Woodstock in June of 1920 and summered there with his family until his death in 1925. A year after his arrival, Bellows purchased property adjacent to Speicher and designed and constructed a house with the assistance of another friend, John Carroll. Little Bridge was painted during Bellows' first visit to Woodstock.
Little Bridge, typical to Bellows work created during the time he spent in Woodstock, is primarily an informal documentaion of the surrounding landscape. The influence, however, of both Hambridge's theory and Marratta's color system remains subtely apparent. Compositionally the work is loosely laid out in a series of geometric shapes. The angularity of the bridge is juxtaposed with the stone wall, creating diagonals that are further intersected by a series of veritcal and horizontal lines represented in the trees, houses and hills in the distance. Bellows then orchestrates his use of color, employing electric blue, deep green and mustard yellow that are separated by quieter greens, yellows and browns in order to create a series of intense visual pitches throughout the image. Unlike Bellows other compositions that more consciously adhered to Hambridge's and Murrata's theories, Little Bridge evokes a sense of freshness and spontanity that underscores Bellows immediate connection with the Woodstock landscape.
Bellows became an important figure among Woodstock artists at a time when there was great dissension between the traditonal landscape painters and the the rebellious modernists. Bellows' landscapes executed during the 1920's in Woodstock incorporated elements from both schools; he appealed to the traditionalists by depicting the local landscape with great affection, yet at the same time was accpeted by the modernists because of his experimentation with color and composition. In bringing together these two styles, Bellows helped forge a unity between the two warring factions that would enable them to move forward into the 1930s.
This work, executed in October, 1920, is recorded in the artist's notebook B of paintings, p. 237. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of works by George Bellows being compiled by Glenn C. Peck with the cooperation of the artist's daughter and grandchildren.
Bellows, at the urging of his friend, Eugene Speicher, made his first trip to Woodstock in June of 1920 and summered there with his family until his death in 1925. A year after his arrival, Bellows purchased property adjacent to Speicher and designed and constructed a house with the assistance of another friend, John Carroll. Little Bridge was painted during Bellows' first visit to Woodstock.
Little Bridge, typical to Bellows work created during the time he spent in Woodstock, is primarily an informal documentaion of the surrounding landscape. The influence, however, of both Hambridge's theory and Marratta's color system remains subtely apparent. Compositionally the work is loosely laid out in a series of geometric shapes. The angularity of the bridge is juxtaposed with the stone wall, creating diagonals that are further intersected by a series of veritcal and horizontal lines represented in the trees, houses and hills in the distance. Bellows then orchestrates his use of color, employing electric blue, deep green and mustard yellow that are separated by quieter greens, yellows and browns in order to create a series of intense visual pitches throughout the image. Unlike Bellows other compositions that more consciously adhered to Hambridge's and Murrata's theories, Little Bridge evokes a sense of freshness and spontanity that underscores Bellows immediate connection with the Woodstock landscape.
Bellows became an important figure among Woodstock artists at a time when there was great dissension between the traditonal landscape painters and the the rebellious modernists. Bellows' landscapes executed during the 1920's in Woodstock incorporated elements from both schools; he appealed to the traditionalists by depicting the local landscape with great affection, yet at the same time was accpeted by the modernists because of his experimentation with color and composition. In bringing together these two styles, Bellows helped forge a unity between the two warring factions that would enable them to move forward into the 1930s.
This work, executed in October, 1920, is recorded in the artist's notebook B of paintings, p. 237. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of works by George Bellows being compiled by Glenn C. Peck with the cooperation of the artist's daughter and grandchildren.