Stag at Sharkey's
Stag at Sharkey's, George Bellows (American, 1882 - 1925) 1909
This canvas depicts a fight at Tom Sharkey's Athletic Club, a popular entertainment bar, located directly across the street from the artist's studio in New York City. The two fighters seem equally matched, making it impossible to predict the outcome. Bellows painted the boxing match with the instinctiveness of the skilled athlete that he was. Using vigorous, rapid brushwork to blur details, Bellows captured the force and energy of the scene, and his low vantage point places the viewer almost at ringside. Bellows was a member of the Ash Can School, whose name derived from the group's gritty scenes of everyday urban life. 
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