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George Wesley Bellows

Rain on the River

Maker

George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882-1925)

Title

Rain on the River

Year

1908

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

oil paint

Supports

Dimensions

82.2 x 97.2 cm (32 3/8 x 38 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Marks

Signature: Signed LL:Geo. Bellows

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Jesse Metcalf Fund

Object Number

15.063

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Paula and Leonard Granoff Galleries
Dec 18, 2015
Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

Bellows rendered urban landscapes with a bold technique that appealed to early 20th-century critics. In this view from a rocky ledge above Riverside Park, he surveys a freight train making its way down New York Central’s Hudson River route. The string of cars reinforces a rushing diagonal that skirts the riverbank and culminates in a great puff of steam. Against the fog-shrouded backdrop, a pedestrian scurries across a rain-slicked path and coal scavengers fill a horse-drawn cart. Writing to RISD president Eliza Radeke, Bellows called Rain on the River “one of my most beautiful things.”

Can a landscape be epic? Bellows answers Yes, approaching the canvas at various speeds: quick abbreviations in the right-hand dock, slower development in the smoke and the important color shapes. Divided into quadrants of rain, river, industry, and park and rimmed with close-cropped rocks, the painting presents balance and dynamic action. A powerful range of tonal progressions is interrupted by linear sequences of trees and soil. Smoke, rain, mist, stone, and trees heighten the sense of touch. Human activity is represented in cool greens, warm grays, and touches of ochre gleaming through. Color reinforces the weather and the particularity of view. The painting evokes cities on rivers and artists who seek the outside experience as a home to subjective experience.

Nancy Friese, painter-printmaker and RISD professor (Graduate Studies)

American Art from the Permanent Collection
May 01, 2010 – Aug 31, 2014
Modernism in the Americas
Jun 20, 2003 – Aug 31, 2003
The Far Traveler
Jun 29, 2000 – Sep 03, 2000

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882-1925)
Rain on the River, 1908
Oil on canvas
82.2 x 97.2 cm (32 3/8 x 38 1/4 inches)
Jesse Metcalf Fund 15.063

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