"Both Members of This Club"

6 x 9 Oil on Archival Board

"Both Members of This Club" is a wonderful painting by George Bellows (1909).  One of my very favorites at the National Gallery.  The title refers to the practice of granting "membership" to boxers but only for the duration of the bouts.  They were considered unacceptable to join on a permanent basis.  Bellows showed his disdain for the elitist crowd by depicting them as grotesque.  When you get up close and personal with the painting, you can see the hatred and the "group mentality."  It sort of reminded me of the election process we are going through now.... This is Number 15 out of the 16 I am doing for my upcoming show at the wonderful Goose Creek Studio in March.