Art History Paper

Bellows, Both Members of This Club (First Paper)

AH 2071

March/06/2018

Ziyan Wang

Fig.1: Boxers (detail), Both Members of This Club, 1909, oil on canvas, 115 x 160.5 cm (National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

The Artwork “Both Members of this Club” (Fig1) was painted by George Bellow. This artwork is considered one of earliest addressing prizefighting subjects. The artwork came out at a time when the 1900 Lewis Law, which had illegalized boxing matches conducted in public, had just taken shape in implementation. The artwork also emerged at a time when racial discrimination was at its peak in the United States of America .

In the Bellows' painting, a black and white man is engaging in prizefighting, which illustrates the racial dynamics which existed during the times of Bellows. Racial segregation in the United States is considered as one of the aspects that defined the American history . With ever escalation of racial discrimination cases in the United States, the African-American leaders-usually referred to as the talented tenth decided to reject the conciliatory approach that was confronted by Booker T., since it was not bearing any fruit, and leaders such as the Du Bois and other African-American leaders founded the Niagara Movement, 1905, as a way of advancing their fight against racial segregation. The leaders would later join forces with other White reformists to form the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People (NAACP), as a vehicle of championing the fight against racial segregation, with the primary focus on employment criteria, among others.

The intention or purpose of all the struggles was the desire to ensure equal treatment for every American, whether black or white. The artwork by Bellows came at such a moment when the fight was intensified, however it might have been informed by the events that surrounded a seriously anticipated fight, pitting Jack Johnson-a black champion in heavyweight boxing-against Jim Jeffries, who was a white American and was considered by the American media as the great white American, extensively carrying the flag or the hopes of America as far as heavyweight boxing is concerned, and aspired to wrestle the title from a black American-Johnson . This was considered discriminatory on a racial basis, since both Jack and Jim were both Americans by the virtue of citizenship. This drawing, therefore, was in line with the racial animosity that highly characterized the coverage of this contest, which Johnson, however, emerged the winner. Going by this, the high octane racial segregation and subsequent clamor for equal treatment is considered thematically embedded in this artwork.

Still on the racial segregation, a central historical context as far as the American History is concerned from the picture at the background the artist portrays some level of darkness, hence bringing into context an atmosphere that is full of danger, but extensively secretive. This suggests the darkness-that included the arrest and to some extent execution of crusaders against racism-that surrounded the struggle against racial segregation, in the American society. In the art, the black African-American is depicted as overpowering the White American, which suggests victory of those fighting against racial segregation, which has defined the American history as far as creation or provision of equal opportunities, as well as the establishment of the structures of governance is concerned. Equality has been achieved through incessant struggle, through dialogue, legal battles, and physical confrontations. It has been worn due to persistent and continuous adjustment in the fight, as portrayed by the picture.

The title, “Both Members of This Club” Bellows brings into perspective the socio-cultural aspect of the American history, especially as it relates to prizefighting, which was considered to be threatened going by the illegalization of prizefighting after the effecting of the Lewis law. The title is satirical as it tends to suggest that; during those periods of racial discrimination, people-both blacks and whites-could still be joined together by the illegal prizefighting at Sharkey’s . This is the point that membership was offered or conferred without consideration of racial inclination.

Socially such places would bring people together in the American history; therefore Bellow tries to reflect the crowd psychology, and how it influences individual behavior, which differs when a person is in a crowd. Going by the wildness of the crowd, Bellow tries to suggest that, the atmosphere created or that is prevailing around the spectators is more immoral than the atmosphere created by the fighters; this intended to mock the Lewis law which illegalized prizefighting and pointed at the societal-based concerns which touched on what was as considered mass migration of people into cities from the rural setups .

The cities were considered to be more appealing to the people regardless of the congestion, pollution, unreachable cost of living, and risk of contracting diseases which are all associated with crowded places; however, because of the desire to identify with a crowd, and being that they are so susceptible to crowd emotions, against personal logical reasoning, people during that time would opt to take the crowd path .

The art depicts two men fighting, hence drawing out or bringing into perspective a peculiar Americanism which adopted and largely operated on muscularity. The theme exposes the dinginess and other hidden illegal activities happening in the city, such as brutality and conflicts between individuals residing within the city, which effectively, the reconstituted the-ought to be glamorous and well-coordinated city life, as a result of male domination. This creates such difference from what is depicted in the artworks of an artist like Shinn, whose artwork was deeply influenced by Edgar Degas, a French Realist, and Impressionist .

The Shinn’s White Ballet (Fig.3) of 1904 tends to depict urban life as polite, going by the theater attendants’ positive reaction. “Both Members of this Club” depicts the crowd (Fig 2) in attendance as bloodthirsty, promoting masculinity. From the American cultural perspective, women were considered insignificant especially when it came to making very important decisions or participating in very crucial events, like prizefighting, which is considered male affair-who have dominated the social, political and economic aspects of America- for so long. The art hence brings into perspective the traditionally-cultured or anchored masculinity, during the 19th century which was the norm in America .

Through the art “Both Members of This Club” Americanism perspective is clearly anchored. He used this work to clearly suggest the sharing of ideals, traditions, or institutions of the United States of America, which each and every American is attached to by the virtue of citizenship. Recognition of this ideas or traditions cannot be swept away, since they are continuously created and shared among all the Americans, and these traditions are considered as significant in the management of the affairs of Americans and were considered crucial in creating a sense of commonness or "American-ness". Generally, Bellows' artworks depicted this Americanism, due to their link with the American past or the visualization of the past of America-more importantly how they related to the building and enhancement of Nationalism and fair administration of justice in America .

The Americanism view or aspect of the American society is also depicted or considered as part of the libels that pushed masculinity syndrome in the American society; during the 19th century being masculine was considered American. It is believed that Americans consider their land feminine hence it must be revenged, controlled and defeated by men as a way of expressing the value of their maleness, autonomy and the difference between the male and females. This culturally-embedded masculinity has been part of the American-ness which Bellow tries to capture in his work.

Indeed the aspect of masculinity in Bellows work to bring out Americanism in the American males, is not only depicted in “Both of us Members of This Club”, but also in “The Big Dory” (Fig.4), in which he depicted the suffering or the struggle of the mariners . He specifically brings out the visual tradition which conceptualizes the traditional masculinity which was common among many American males. The Big Dory is captured along the coastal region of Maine, by the use of Fisherman portrait, which brings clearly demonstrate the interest and concern he had in traditions, which it clearly and perfectly exudes .

Other Artworks

Fig 2.Crowd (detail), Both Members of This Club, 1909, oil on canvas, 115 x 160.5 cm (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)

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Fig 3.Everett Shinn, The White Ballet, 1904, oil on canvas, 74.9 x 93.3 cm (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

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Fig.4. George Bellows, The Big Dory, 1913. Oil on panel. 18 x22 in. New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, Harriett Russell Stanley Fund.

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Bibliography

Arie W. Kruglanski and Wolfgang Stroebe, “The Making of Social Psychology,” in Handbook of the History of Social Psychology, ed. Arie W. Kruglanski and Wolfgang Stroebe (New York: Psychology Press, 2012), p. 3;

Bellows, Both Members Of This Club". 2018. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/art-between-wars/american-art-wwii/a/bellows-both-members-of-this-club .

Beach, Caitlin. “Envisioning an American Ideal: Masculinity and Traditional Work Ethic in George Bellows’ Paintings of Maine Shipbuilding.” Honors Project, Bowdoin College, 2010

Denison, James W. IV, "A "Peculiarly American" Enthusiasm: George Bellows, Traditional Masculinity, and The Big Dory" (2014).Honors Projects.Paper 14. Duncan,

Roger F.Coastal Maine: A Maritime History. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1992.

Marianne Doezema, George Bellows and Urban America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992), pp. 104-113.

Comments: The painting you have chosen is an interesting one and does provide some interesting opportunities to discuss the history of race in the United States. Your paper reads as a very limited summary of two secondary sources. With the changes in writing patterns and word selection, I am inclined to believe that most of what you have written has come directly from those sources and, if so, you must cite each one. See writing center to assist you with you sentence composition and word selection.

Grade: C

� Doezema Marianne, George Bellows and Urban America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992), pp. 112.

� Ibid., 108

� Ibid., 104-106

� Ibid., 111

� Ibid.,113

� Kruglanski Arie and Wolfgang Stroebe, “The Making of Social Psychology,” in Handbook of the History of Social Psychology, ed. Arie W. Kruglanski and Wolfgang Stroebe (New York: Psychology Press, 2012).

� Ibid. p3

� James Denison, "A "Peculiarly American" Enthusiasm: George Bellows, Traditional Masculinity, and The Big Dory" (2014).Honors Projects.Paper 14. Duncan,

� Ibid., 95-96

� Coastal Rodger Maine: A Maritime History. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1992

� Caitlin Beach. “Envisioning an American Ideal: Masculinity and Traditional Work Ethic in George Bellows’ Paintings of Maine Shipbuilding.” Honors Project, Bowdoin College, 2010