Crucifixion of Christ

Bellows, George, 1882-1925 · 1923

This subject was dealt with in three mediums; first, a drawing, then this lithograph, and finally the large oil painting. (Bellows) / The illustration upon which this lithograph was based accompanied a story that appeared in "Hearst's International Magazine," in September 1922. "I Saw Him Crucified," by Arthur Conan Doyle, was a letter ostensibly written by a Roman soldier to his uncle, recounting the story of Christ's death as he had heard it from the Centurion. The image in the lithograph is reversed from that of the drawing in "Hearst's International Magazine." On the painting of the same subject, Bellows is quoted as having said, "I hope it will be liked as I have given it my all." (Mason)