Helen

Robert Henri (1865-1929) was an American painter and teacher known for his strong portraits of ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds. He wanted to show the grittier side of life in his work as opposed to the genteel subject matter popular at the time.
Henri painted his first painting at age 18 when his family moved to New York City. Led by his desire to pursue his art full time, Henri studied abroad and was accepted into the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where he studied the style of Academic Realism.

Henri eventually returned to New York City where he rejected the Academicism he had studied and focused on painting urban realism where people and landscapes in the working classes were portrayed. He founded the Ashcan school and was considered the spiritual father of the movement. The Ashcan school defied the style of Academic painting and showed life from a more realistic perspective that spoke to their own time and experience.

He also became interested in Dynamic Symmetry, a complex system defining composition and rules in art. His portrait, Helen was one of his few works painted with this system. Henri used forceful brushstrokes and darker colors contrasting with the paleness of her skin to bring a lightness and spirit to the painting.

Robert Henri died at age 64 of cancer and was honored with a memorial exhibit of 78 of his paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Heidi Werber