"Stag at Sharkey's," George Bellows, 1909.
Bellows (1882-1925) was an acclaimed Realist artist who was part of the Ashcan School, which sought to capture scenes of everyday life in New York, especially that of the lower and poorer classes. He had Socialist and Anarchist leanings, but also was a fervent supporter of the US's entry in WWI. While some on the left viewed him with suspicion, on the right he created controversy with his anticensorhip views, and his opposition to the persecution of dissenters and conscientious objectors.
When told he had no business depicting the war, because he wasn't there, he shot back, "I had no idea Leonardo da Vinci had a ticket to the Last Supper!"
Here we have one of his Aschan paintings, with a boxing match in full swing. Evidently this is at a private boxing club; the term "stag" refers to a contender who's given a temporary membership so he can take part in a bout. He chose a low perspective to imitate that of someone watching from the crowd. He also confessed he knew nothing of boxing, saying, "I'm just painting two men trying to kill each other."
From the Cleveland Museum of Art.
