• Reading Public Museum
    Open 11a-5p DailyAdmission
  • Neag Planetarium
    Show ScheduleAdmission
  • Arboretum
    Open everyday from sunrise to sunset
Collections Menu

The Launching

The Launching

Artist: George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882 - 1925)

Date: October 1913
Medium: oil on panel
Dimensions:
Panel: 18 x 22 in. (45.7 x 55.9 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 x 29 1/2 x 2 1/8 in. (64.1 x 74.9 x 5.4 cm)
Credit Line:Museum Purchase through the Levi W. Mengel Memorial Fund
Object number: 1951.63.1

This painting is among the most appealing of a group of works Bellows completed on Monhegan Island, Maine in 1913.  The artist captures fishermen hard at work, laboring to pull the boat toward the sea.  Painted with broad brushstrokes and bold colors, the composition is organized with strong diagonals and horizontal lines.  The bright yellow rain coats contrast dramatically against the deep blue of the sea.

In Collection(s)