The Germans Arrive

1918

George Bellows

Associated Names
George Bellows

Artist, American, 1882 - 1925

This painting depicts a scene of conflict with several people in military garb. In the center, a shirtless person with pale skin is being restrained by soldiers. The person’s wrists are bloody, and one severed, bloody hand lies on the ground beneath them. One of the soldiers restraining the person holds a long, bloody sword, while the other has the person in a headlock. Both of the soldiers wear long gray coats and have helmets with points at the top. In the bottom left corner, a person is on the ground, laying in a pool of blood. To the left of the central group, a soldier appears to choke a woman in a white dress, grabbing her neck and one of her arms. To the right, another woman is similarly restrained. The right side of the image shows a crowd of soldiers, all holding long weapons. The background shows a few houses and a green hill, and the blue sky above is filled with billowing gray smoke.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1882-1925]; by inheritance to his wife, Emma S. Bellows [1884-1959]; her estate; (H.V. Allison & Co., New York); purchased 3 March 1993 by Ian M. Cumming [1940-2018], Jackson, Wyoming; his estate; bequest 2021 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1983

  • George Bellows and the War Series of 1918, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1983, brochure no. 2, repro.

2012

  • George Bellows, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2012 - 2013, no. 130.

2013

  • George Bellows and the American Experience, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, 2013 - 2014, unnumbered catalogue.

2016

  • World War I and American Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; The New-York Historical Society, New York; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, 2016 - 2018, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1971

  • Braider, Donald. George Bellows and the Ashcan School of Painting. New York, 1971: 113, 143.

1981

  • Wasserman, Krystyna. "George Wesley Bellows' War Lithographs and Paintings of 1918." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Maryland, 1981: v, 22, 36, 39, fig. xi, 100.

2004

  • Engel, Charlene. "The Man in the Middle: George Bellows, War, and 'Sergeant' Delaney." American Art 18 (Spring 2004): 84, 85.

2012

  • Brock, Charles, et al. George Bellows. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2012-2013. Washington and New York, 2012: 23, 255, 256, 262, 263, 267, 307, pl.130.

Inscriptions

lower right: Geo Bellows

Wikidata ID

Q111603587

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