George Bellows

Distributed by Microcinema International/Microcinema DVD, 71 Stevenson St. Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94105; 415-447-9750Produced by Carroll MooreDirected by David Hammer2012, DVD, color, 31 mins. Produced by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC on the occasion of the exhibition, George Bellows, this portrait of George Bellows (1882-1925) casts a new and long overdue light on this less-known painter. Narrated by Ethan Hawke, Bellows “chronicled America’s pursuits and passions like no artist before or since. His vision was wide and deep.” His early death at the age of 42 left a legacy of over 1,000 drawings, paintings and prints—“a daring and original record of America in the early 20th century.” The film is a cornucopia of Bellows’ art, and incorporates his own journal entries as well as archival photography and film. Bellows’ documenting through painting the construction boom in Manhattan, particularly Penn Station, is as remarkable as it is powerful. As a sports enthusiast (particularly boxing), Bellows captured in paint all the ferociousness and brutality of boxers in the ring. He also took inspiration from working men and women, his own family, the Hudson River and the coast of Maine. As a magazine illustrator, Bellows taught himself lithography later in his life, and published a series of lithographs on German atrocities committed during the First World War. This is an intimate and enlightening profile of one of America’s most notable artists. Recommended for all libraries.