The Germans Arrive

George Bellows

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a scene of conflict with several people in military garb. In the center, a shirtless person with pale skin is being restrained by soldiers. The person’s wrists are bloody, and one severed, bloody hand lies on the ground beneath them. One of the soldiers restraining the person holds a long, bloody sword, while the other has the person in a headlock. Both of the soldiers wear long gray coats and have helmets with points at the top. In the bottom left corner, a person is on the ground, laying in a pool of blood. To the left of the central group, a soldier appears to choke a woman in a white dress, grabbing her neck and one of her arms. To the right, another woman is similarly restrained. The right side of the image shows a crowd of soldiers, all holding long weapons. The background shows a few houses and a green hill, and the blue sky above is filled with billowing gray smoke.