George Bellows 1882-1925

Estate of the artist, 1925
Emma S. Bellows (the artist's wife)
Estate of Emma S. Bellows, 1959
H.V. Allison & Co., New York
Alfredo Valente, New York, 1965
Private Collection
Washburn Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1985

New York, Montross Gallery, Exhibition of Paintings by George Bellows, 1914, no. 14
Chicago, Illinois, The Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings by George Bellows, 1914-15, no. 23
Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Museum of Art, Exhibition of Paintings by George Bellows, 1915, no. 22
Los Angeles, California, Museum of Art, Paintings by George Bellows, N. A., 1915, no. 23
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Institute of Arts, Paintings by George Bellows, 1915, no. 44
Muskegon, Michigan, Hackley Art Gallery, 1915
Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester Art Museum, Exhibition of Paintings by George Bellows, 1915, no. 23
Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum, Special Exhibition of Paintings by Mr. George Bellows, 1915, no. 15
Chicago, Illinois, George Perkins, 1915 (as per Record Book)
Chicago, Illinois, O'Brien Gallery, 1915 (as per Record Book)
Chicago, Illinois, Thurber Gallery, 1915 (as per Record Book)
New York, H.V. Allison & Co., George Bellows, 1965, no. 6

The Artist's Record Book A, p. 247

This painting is in very good condition. Under UV: there are two spots of inpainting along the top center extreme edge, a few spots along the lower right extreme edge, and a few scattered dots and dashes in the whites of the crashing waves.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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George Bellows first visited Monhegan Island in Maine at the invitation of his former teacher and good friend, Robert Henri, who suggested that Bellows join him and Randall Davey, another young artist, on a three-week painting excursion in the summer of 1911. He returned two summers later with his wife, Emma, and daughter, Anne, for an extended stay lasting four months. With Henri and Davey as his companions, Bellows spent every day of his first visit exploring the island in search of subject matter. He carried with him a group of small panels, measuring 11 by 15 inches, on which he recorded the terrain in wonderfully direct, spontaneous plein air sketches. When he returned to the island with his family, Bellows elected to work in a slightly larger format with panels that measured 15 by 19 1/2 inches. While still able to invigorate these larger works with a sense of immediacy, the larger scale afforded him the opportunity to produce more complex and grander compositions.

Inhabited year-round by a small group of lobstermen and their families, Monhegan Island became a popular artist's colony during the summer months around the turn-of-the-century. Though less than three miles long and only one-half mile wide, Monhegan contained some of the most spectacular scenery to be found anywhere along the Maine coast. Soon after arriving at Monhegan, Bellows, who was profoundly affected by the island's wild beauty, wrote to his wife Emma, "This is the most wonderful country ever modeled by the hand of the master architect" (August 9, 1911, Bellows Papers, Amherst College Library).

Bellows' paintings from his 1911 trip, characterized by moody tones of grey and blue, are spirited compositions; however, the works inspired during the 1913 visit, which exhibit the artist's vigorous brushwork, are further enlivened by the use of bold primary hues. Through these assertive paintings, Bellows explores the theme of the primitive and essential power of the sea. In Sunlit Surf, invigorated with rich blues, greens, oranges, purples and yellows, the raw force of nature is vividly conveyed by the churning, foaming waves breaking against the massive and unyielding rocks. Painted with lively brushstrokes and bold impasto, Sunlit Surf evinces a powerful energy that is manifested in Bellows' most iconic images.

Bellows' paintings of the sea have often been compared to Winslow Homer's. Robert Henri, Bellows' teacher and painting companion during his 1911 Monhegan trip, was a frank and open admirer of Homer's marine subjects, once writing: "Look at a Homer seascape. There is order in it and grand formation. It produces on your mind the whole vastness of the sea, a vastness as impressive and uncontrollable as the sea itself. You are made to feel the force of the sea, the resistance of the rock; the whole thing is an integrity of nature" (The Art Spirit, Philadelphia, 1923, p. 115). Bellows would apply these principles and lessons into works such as Sunlit Surf, which masterfully explores the theme of the inherent power of the ocean.