Artwork
The Germans Arrive
The Germans Arrive is an oil painting by the Ashcan School artist George Bellows. It dates from 1918 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: Geo Bellows
About this work
Technique & Style
The handling is bold and vigorously brushed, with thick impasto in passages that convey the dynamism of the arriving column.
Executed in oil on canvas in 1918, the painting measures 125.73 cm in height by 201.3 cm in width. The handling is bold and vigorously brushed, with thick impasto in passages that convey the dynamism of the arriving column. Stylistically, the composition compresses space and exaggerates perspective, aligning the converging lines of the procession with the picture plane to heighten drama.
Figures are rendered with simplified, almost sculptural forms and sharp, angular contours, reflecting a graphic sensibility that underscores the scene’s urgency.
History & Provenance
George Bellows created the oil-on-canvas painting The Germans Arrive in 1918. Following the artist's death in 1925, the work passed by inheritance to his wife, Emma S. Bellows. It remained in her estate until it was sold through the gallery H.V. Allison & Co. in New York.
On March 3, 1993, Ian M. Cumming of Jackson, Wyoming, purchased the painting. Upon Cumming's death in 2018, the work became part of his estate and was subsequently bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in 2021.
The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its ownership history traces from the artist, George Bellows, to his wife Emma S. Bellows by inheritance, and subsequently to her estate. The work passed through the dealer H.V. Allison & Co. in New York before being purchased by Ian M. Cumming of Jackson, Wyoming, on March 3, 1993. Following Cumming's death, the piece was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in 2021.
No specific exhibition history or inventory accession numbers are provided in the available records.
Overview
George Bellows’ oil on canvas, The Germans Arrive, was painted in 1918. The work captures a bustling urban street filled with pedestrians and horses, rendered in a hurried, crowded composition that suggests a moment of sudden disruption.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a street teeming with people and draft animals as a group of German soldiers appears, creating a sense of urgency and tension. The juxtaposition of civilian activity with the arrival of foreign troops hints at the anxieties of wartime America.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City.
