Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh was an American painter and illustrator known for scenes of New York City crowds, Coney Island, burlesque theaters, and street life.
Painter
George Bellows
George Bellows was an American Ashcan School painter known for energetic scenes of New York City, boxing matches, crowded streets, and rough seas.
George Bellows quick facts
Bellows studied with Robert Henri, joined the Ashcan circle, and painted scenes of urban life with bold strokes and an unusually wide range of subjects.
| Full name | George Wesley Bellows |
|---|---|
| Born | 1882 · Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Died | 1925 · New York City, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | Ashcan School; American Realism |
| Paint types | Oil paint · Watercolor paint |
| Other media | — |
| Other materials | — |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Wood · Paper |
| Painting methods | Broad wet-into-wet oil brushwork and thick paint on canvas or wood, sometimes without preparatory sketches; watercolor-and-ink studies |
| Common subjects | Tenements, New York streets, boxing matches, harbor crowds, portraits, and crashing surf |
| Notable works | Stag at Sharkey's · Cliff Dwellers · Dempsey and Firpo · New York |
Sources: The Met: George Bellows exhibition and oil-paint technique, The Met: The Ashcan School, National Gallery of Art: George Bellows, Smithsonian: George Bellows.
Paint types used by George Bellows
Bellows used oil for major canvases and watercolor on paper; records for Club Night and Under the Elevated show both approaches in New York scenes.
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Oil paint
The National Gallery of Art records Bellows’s Club Night as oil on canvas. He used oil for large boxing scenes that place spectators close to the ring, with forceful brushwork conveying the crowd’s energy. Museum records document the same medium in other urban scenes and portraits.
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Watercolor paint
MoMA catalogs Under the Elevated as watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper. The sheet documents Bellows’s separate works-on-paper practice, using painted washes alongside drawn contours to depict city life. This medium differs from the oil-on-canvas boxing scenes in his finished paintings.
Sources: National Gallery of Art: Club Night; National Gallery of Art: Club Night research entry.; MoMA: Under the Elevated, watercolor, ink, and pencil; The Met: George Bellows exhibition
Painting surfaces used by George Bellows
Collection entries identify canvas and wood among George Bellows’s supports, with the examples below grounding each material in documented works.
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Canvas
Bellows’s energetic scenes, including the National Gallery’s Club Night and the Met’s Stag at Sharkey’s, are documented on canvas. The textile support carries his large boxing scenes and urban subjects, distinct from watercolor studies on paper. Museum records identify canvas directly for these paintings.
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Wood
Bellows also painted on wood panels in selected works, as recorded in museum collections. The rigid support differs from canvas used for larger boxing scenes and from the sheets used for watercolors. These object records establish wood as a separate support in his practice.
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Paper
Bellows’s watercolor studies and drawings use paper, including MoMA’s Under the Elevated with ink and pencil. The sheet supports transparent washes and drawn contours in a portable format, distinct from finished oils on canvas and wood panels. This cited object grounds the support claim in a named collection record.
Sources: The Met: George Bellows exhibition and oil-paint technique, The Met: The Ashcan School, National Gallery of Art: George Bellows, Smithsonian: George Bellows.
Painters similar to George Bellows
Marsh shared Bellows’s attention to New York crowds, while Hopper, another Henri student, depicted American life in quieter urban scenes across New York.
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was an American realist painter whose city interiors, roadside buildings, and coastal landscapes use strong light and geometric composition.