George Bellows was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University from 1901–1904. At OSU, Bellows played for the basketball and baseball teams while also working as an illustrator. Desiring to become a painter, he dropped out of school and moved to New York City. There, he studied under Robert Henri at the New York School of Art and became associated with The Eight and the Ashcan School. Like other Ashcan artists, Bellows painted urban scenes, focusing on the contemporary life of working-class people. Bellow’s paintings of boxing matches, with their twisting, dynamic figures, are his best known and most popular subjects. In addition to his sports imagery he also painted urban landscapes and portraits and worked as an illustrator and teacher. He was also socially conscious and advocated for individual rights, socialism, and U.S. intervention in WWI. Bellows died at 42 from a ruptured appendix.
The Baseball Game was a gift from the artist to Grace Carter of New York City on the occasion of her wedding on July 2, 1908. Sports infused much of Bellows’ work—boxing matches and polo players—but he produced only one real baseball picture: this one. A recent cleaning has brought forth all the detail and color of the artist’s handling of the subject.