The Knock Out
The Knock Out
Artist
George Wesley Bellows
(1882 - 1925)
Date1907
MediumPastel, ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions21 3/4 × 28 in. (55.2 × 71.1 cm)
Framed: 34 1/2 × 40 1/4 × 2 5/8 in.
Framed: 34 1/2 × 40 1/4 × 2 5/8 in.
ClassificationsDrawing
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2010.82
Signedu.r., in white pastel: Bellows
Accession number
2010.82
On View
On viewLabel TextBoxing grew in popularity at the turn of the century, but some viewed the activity as a moral vice. New York State outlawed public contests in 1900. Prizefighting took to private venues such as Sharkey’s Athletic Club, where George Bellows witnessed matches. The Knock Out foregrounds the violence of the sport, as a referee struggles to hold back the victor from further beating his fallen opponent. Bellows also emphasized the intensity of the fans, surging forward and reveling in the escape from polite social conventions.
Inscribedverso, on sheet: Geo Bellows / 1907 / Broadway / N.Y. / A Knock Out
