Between Rounds, No. 1

Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. Pho…

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Artist/Maker George Bellows (American, 1882 - 1925)

Date1916

MediumLithograph

DimensionsComposition: 20 7/16 × 16 5/16 in. (51.9 × 41.4 cm) Sheet: 24 15/16 × 20 9/16 in. (63.3 × 52.2 cm)

Credit LinePurchased with funds donated by William H. Areson, Class of 1934; D. Roger Howlett, Class of 1966; Joseph L. Katz, Class of 1926 and William G. Roehrick, Class of 1934, H1971

Object number1984.7

Not on view

DescriptionGeorge Bellows was a prominent member of the Ashcan School, so called for its practitioners’ depictions of gritty urban life in the early twentieth century, which came as a shock to many viewers who considered such base and banal subjects unworthy of treatment by visual artists. Bellows is best known for his paintings and prints of boxing matches, which may look innocuous and all-American to viewers today but, at the time of their making, resonated powerfully around sensitive issues of masculinity, race, class, and decorum—given that public prizefighting was illegal at the time. He crafted the scenes in his imagination, but they were probably inspired by real fights and individuals. Between Rounds is based on an illustration the artist created to accompany a story by L. C. Moíse, “The Last Ounce,” published in the April 1913 issue of the American Magazine. It depicts the story’s protagonist—a fictional prizefighter named Jimmy Nolan—being revived by a trainer during a match. In the foreground is a mass of bodies—the audience—whose faces are mostly invisible, turned toward the ring. This print is referred to as “No. 1” because, in 1923, Bellows reworked the composition into a smaller print, now known as Between Rounds, No. 2. Lithography traditionally involves drawing with a waxy crayon or other oily substance on a limestone slab; after a series of chemical processes, the stone can be inked and run through a press to transfer the image to paper. Lithography can produce larger editions than those typically allowed by older printmaking techniques, such as woodcut and etching. Bellows became one of the masters of the lithographic medium thanks, in large part, to his ability to capture the immediacy and energy of prizefights. This print—acquired in 1984, two years after the founding of the Emerson Gallery—was the first purchase made for the Hamilton College collection. (SOURCE: Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS, 2017)

Collections

American Art

Additional Details

Exhibition History 2017
Clinton, NY (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College). "Innovative Approaches, Honored Traditions: The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Five Years, Highlights from the Permanent Collection," September 9 - December 10, 2017 (cat. no. 60, illus.);

2005
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "Hamilton Collects, A Century of Curiosities: The Story of the Hamilton College Collection," September 29 - December 30, 2005 (unnumbered cat., illus. 50);

1992
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "Highlights from the Hamilton College Collection," June 5 - September 6, 1992 (cat. no. 51);

1966
New York, NY (The Gallery of Modern Art including The Huntington Hartford Collection). "George Bellows: Paintings, Drawings, Lithographs," March 15 - May 1, 1966 (no. 25).

Provenance 1984: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by purchase at auction from Christie's, New York.

Published References Katherine D. Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS: THE RUTH AND ELMER WELLIN MUSEUM OF ART AT FIVE YEARS, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION (Clinton, NY: Wellin Museum of Art, 2017), p. 150;

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HAMILTON COLLEGE COLLECTION (exh. cat., Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, June 5- September 6, 1992, cat. no. 51).

Signature Signed "Geo. Bellows" at lower right in pencil.

Inscribed "Between Rounds" lower center margin in pencil; "No 22" lower left margin in pencil.