Blue Snow, The Battery 1910

George Bellows, sometime in the early 20th century, made this painting on canvas with oil paint, and it's called Blue Snow, The Battery. Looking at the way the strokes are laid down, you can tell he's not trying to hide his process. It's like, here's the paint, here's how I'm slapping it on. The whole thing feels cold, right? A limited range of blues and grays, with touches of warmer tones. Look at the building on the left, how it almost merges with the sky. Then check out how he's handled the snow, not just as white, but as something that absorbs and reflects light, and color. The marks are quick, gestural, but they build up a sense of depth, of atmosphere. It’s all about how Bellows used the material qualities of paint to convey a mood, a feeling, of a specific place and time. Bellows was part of the Ashcan School, those artists who painted everyday life in New York. You might see echoes of Whistler in here, that interest in mood and atmosphere. But Bellows has got this raw energy all his own. It’s like he's saying, art can be messy, real, and still beautiful.