Art Blogging: Robert Henri

Robert Henri (1865-1929) was an American Ashcan painter. Born in Nebraska to a riverboat gambler, he changed his name from Cozad to Henri when his father fled authorities on a murder charge. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts and at the Academie Julian in Paris. At the latter, Henri was influenced by the French Impressionists, particularly Manet. Back in America, he settled in New York City and became a prodigious teacher. George Bellows and Edward Hopper were among his students. In his own work and through his students, Henri is considered to be the founder of the Aschan Movement -- a New York-centered American art movement which realistically depicted the urban lower classes and openly rejected European stylistic standards.

Cafferty (oil on canvas, 1926). Traditionally thought to be an Irish-American boy, Cafferty is representative of Henri's embrace of gritty, urban life.






Salome (oil on canvas, 1909, Mead Art Museum). Oscar Wilde's French play Salome captivated public attention for decades after its 1896 release. A 1905 German opera on the character likewise gathered wide acclaim.






Jessica Penn in Black and White Plumes (oil on canvas, 1908).