Artwork
Girl Fixing Her Hair
Girl Fixing Her Hair is a print by George Bellows. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Girl Fixing Her Hair (1924) is a realist print by American artist George Bellows, capturing an everyday moment of solitude. A woman, lost in the task of adjusting her hair in front of a mirror, is portrayed in a straightforward, observational manner.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a solitary female figure, is absorbed in a personal, mundane activity. Her introspective posture and downward gaze suggest a moment of quiet self-absorption, unencumbered by external awareness.
Technique & Style
Executed in a realistic style, the print emphasizes detail and texture. Bellows employs chiaroscuro, leveraging strong contrasts between light and dark to create depth and volumetric form, particularly evident in the interplay of light on the subject's face and hair.
History & Provenance
Created in 1924, this work aligns with Bellows' broader oeuvre focused on urban, everyday American life, though here, the focus is on intimate, indoor domesticity rather than public city scenes.
Context
While Bellows is renowned for his depictions of New York City's urban landscape, *Girl Fixing Her Hair* offers a contrasting, intimate view of private life, reflecting the artist's capacity to find realism in both public and personal spheres.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City.
Etude
Sophie Pflanz in Cleopatre
Nude with Her Arms Raised (Le modèle nue les bras levés)
Mlle Bécat at the Café des Ambassadeurs
The Plaid Shawl
La Femme (frontispiece)
Woman with a Vase (La femme au vase)
Girl with a Cigarette II
Nude with Her Arms Raised (Le modèle nue les bras levés)
Etude
Mademoiselle Bécat at the Cafe des Ambassadeurs (Aux Ambassadeurs: Mlle Bécat)
Nude Girl Combing Her Hair