Have you ever seen a painting of two fighters going at it hot and heavy on a stag night? If you have, then chances are that you have just seen a painting of George Bellows's from Tom Sharkey's Athletic Club in New York City. Prizefights were among some of his favorite subjects, although he only did few paintings of them. George Wesley Bellows was an American realist painter in the 20th century. He was thought of as an artist of the Ashcan school, although he wasn't one of "The Eight," which included George Henri and other well-known artists who painted...
the rows of cigar smoking men passively awaiting first blood- or a knockout von Hartz 31.

Being a painter of the Ashcan school was part of the reason that George Bellows painted scenes of the real world, so that others could see what life was like being poor and living in New York. He impacted America by his realistic paintings and his prizefights have been some of the most popular pieces of artwork in American history. He opened the doors for the new-age realist painters of the 20th century and left the world with the images of his art.