Studies of Jean

Bellows employed graphite on a smooth wove paper, allowing for rapid, gestural strokes. The lines are deliberately loose, with varying pressure that creates a sense of immediacy. The marginal sketches are executed in a similarly brisk manner, illustrating the artist’s exploratory approach to form and proportion.

The drawing dates to the early 1920s, a period when Bellows was expanding his practice beyond his well‑known urban scenes. While the work’s ownership trail is not extensively documented, it remains part of the artist’s body of studies that illuminate his process during this phase of his career.