“Men of the Docks” by George Bellows

“Men of the Docks” by George Bellows depicts a group of men wearing overcoats, standing at a dock in Brooklyn, New York City, together with some draught horses. 

A steam liner looms over them to their right, and in the center is a tugboat. The waters are iced up by winter, and in the background are the skyscrapers of the lower Manhattan skyline.

The winter weather seems bleak and grey as the men look for work at the docks. The men are looking to the left, and we can only speculate about what has drawn their attention.

Is it news that no work is available or a notice that the men are required for labor.

In the early 20th century, day laborers in the New York docks worked depending on the availability of ships to unload, and thus when not working, they often stood nearby, waiting for news that there was work.

This painting is a significant example of Bellows’ treatment of the subject in which he emphasizes the precariousness of the laborers’ situation.

George Bellows

George Bellows was an American realist painter known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City.

Bellows was part of the Ashcan School, which was an artistic movement in the United States during the early 20th century.

It is best known for works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city’s more impoverished neighborhoods.

The movement has been seen as symbolic of the spirit of political rebellion of the period.

Men of the Docks

• Title:               Men of the Docks
• Artist:             George Bellows
• Date:              1912
• Medium:        Oil on canvas
• Dimensions:   Height: 114.3 cm (45 in); Width: 161.3 cm (63.5 in)
• Museum:        National Gallery, London

George Bellows

• Name:            George Wesley Bellows
• Born:              1882 – Columbus, Ohio USA
• Died:              1925 (aged 42) – New York City, NY USA
• Nationality:    American
• Movement:    Ashcan School, American realism
• Notable Works:
  • Cliff Dwellers
  • Men of the Docks

“Men of the Docks” by George Bellows

“Men of the Docks” by George Bellows

Explore The National Gallery

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16th Century Paintings

• “Mystic Nativity” by Sandro Botticelli – 1550
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• “Salvator Mundi” by Andrea Previtali – 1519
• “Bacchus and Ariadne” by Titian – 1523
• “The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger – 1533
• “Mary Magdalene” by Girolamo Savoldo – 1540
• “Saint George and the Dragon” by Tintoretto – 1558
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• “The Rape of Europa” by Paolo Veronese – 1570
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17th Century Paintings

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• “Equestrian Portrait of Charles I” by Anthony van Dyck – 1638
• “Venus at her Mirror” by Diego Velázquez – 1651
• “Self Portrait at the Age of 63” by Rembrandt – 1669
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18th Century Paintings

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19th Century Paintings

• “Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel” by Francisco Goya – 1805
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• “Cimabue’s Celebrated Madonna is carried in Procession through the Streets of Florence” by Frederic Leighton – 1855
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• “Bathers at Asnières” by Georges Seurat – 1884
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• “Boulevard Montmartre at Night” by Camille Pissarro – 1898

20th Century Paintings

• “Misia Sert” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir –  1904
• “Portrait of Hermine Gallia” by Gustav Klimt – 1904
• Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses) by  Paul Cézanne – 1905
• “Men of the Docks” by George Bellows –  1912
• “Water-Lilies” by Claude Monet (National Gallery, London) – 1916

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“Art strives for structure, and aspires for magnificence.”
– George Bellows

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Photo Credit: 1) George Bellows [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons