Men of the Docks
Artist: George Bellows (American, 1882 - 1925)
Original Dimensions: 45" x 63 1/2"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (1912) "Positioned on the waterfront of the East River, we are looking across the partly frozen river towards the tall buildings of Lower Manhattan. The warehouse in shadow on the left and the massive hull of an ocean liner on the right form two powerful diagonals that meet at the sunlit Manhattan skyline, which rises from the water like a cliff face. Seen from a relatively low vantage point, the warehouse, liner and skyline form three sides of a box, the fourth wall of which is formed in part by the group of longshoremen, who are most likely waiting to unload the liner. By placing the men against the Manhattan skyline, Bellows ironically contrasts the dynamic centre of modern capitalism with the harsh reality of the people whose labour kept it functioning. When bought by the National Gallery in 2014, this was the first major American painting to enter the collection." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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