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Lot Essay
In addition to his role as an influential teacher and a leader of the Ashcan school, Robert Henri is perhaps best remembered for his spirited portraits of children. In the present work, Henri depicts a young gypsy girl, Patience, in the artist's classic style: a portrait of a child shown three-quarter length and painted in dashing strokes of color.
Robert Henri's portraits were not the result of costly commissions. Instead, the artist chose his sitters based on the vitality and character they emanated. The success of these portraits, such as the present painting, relies on Henri's ability to interact with his sitter and translate onto canvas an image that transcends a mere rendition of a girl. "At home in New York City and especially on his various travels in the United States and trips to Europe, he would seek out 'types,' individuals previously unknown to him whom he would ask to pose for a portrait. These were non-commercial efforts executed simply because the character of the subject attracted him. He began to call these 'My People,' sitters who represented a cross-section of races and cultures...As he said, he liked to paint 'My People,' 'whoever they may be, wherever they may exist, the people through whom dignity of life is manifest, that is, who are in some way expressing themselves naturally along the lines Nature intended for them.'" (W.I. Homer, "Robert Henri as a Portrait Painter," My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, Seattle, Washington, 1994, p. 13)
In the summer of 1915, Henri and his wife, Linda, accompanied George and Emma Bellows to Ogunquit, Maine. Henri described Ogunquit as, "a sort of straggling village made up of quiet-seeking respectables and natives and a considerable artist's colony..." Regarding the models, "there were plenty of children ready to earn the money, but they were...not inspiring..." (as quoted in B.B. Perlman, Robert Henri: His Life and Art, New York, 1991, p. 118) By August, Henri changed his opinion after finding a settlement of gypsies who served as models, including the present sitter, Patience. Henri wrote, "It appears that after all our coming here will prove a rather good thing for I already have a few things that are very good. Particularly of a gypsy child laughing--I think it is one of my very best in this type of work." (as quoted in V.A. Leeds, My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 34)
Henri's painting technique profoundly underscored the visual impact of his portraits. He writes about his style, "It is not the way you put paint on, but what you ask of it that counts. Our style is the way you talk in paint. The hair is wonder in its gamut from materialism to idealism, from detail to bigness...The line on the head between the hair and the face is often a great opportunity for expression in a picture...The eye of a young person is clear cut, of an old person indefinite...Make the forms of a garment so that a trip through its hills and dales will be delightful...Clothes should have not limpness but the beauty of activity. Great things should be happening, currents should be running through." (The Art Spirit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1923, pp. 249-57) Henri's works from 1915 were most likely influenced by his exposure to the European Fauves and Expressionists at the 1913 Armory Show, which inspired him to push his technique further. Henri's experimentation with unusual and vivid palettes and color combinations reached a climax in the Ogunquit portraits, particularly in the more than twenty canvases of Maine gypsies with the similarly vibrant background colors." (My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 34) Utilizing vigorous brushwork and saturated colors in reds and greens, Henri in Patience is able to distill the essence of the young gypsy girl.
Echoing in the numerous portraits painted toward the end of his career are his own words: "'If you paint children, you must have no patronizing attitude toward them. Whoever approaches a child without humility, without wonderment, and without infinite respect, misses in his judgment of what is before him...Paint with respect for him...He is the great possibility, the independent individual.' Emblematic of his universal and positive view of humankind, children had a particular spirit and sense of optimism that had powerful allure for Henri." (as quoted in My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 41) Patience exemplifies the hallmarks that make Henri's portraits some of his most coveted work. He combines the European style and the subject of New York Ashcan school to successfully portray the character of a young girl. Henri's heralded portraits such as Patience now remain as iconic images of humanity.
Robert Henri's portraits were not the result of costly commissions. Instead, the artist chose his sitters based on the vitality and character they emanated. The success of these portraits, such as the present painting, relies on Henri's ability to interact with his sitter and translate onto canvas an image that transcends a mere rendition of a girl. "At home in New York City and especially on his various travels in the United States and trips to Europe, he would seek out 'types,' individuals previously unknown to him whom he would ask to pose for a portrait. These were non-commercial efforts executed simply because the character of the subject attracted him. He began to call these 'My People,' sitters who represented a cross-section of races and cultures...As he said, he liked to paint 'My People,' 'whoever they may be, wherever they may exist, the people through whom dignity of life is manifest, that is, who are in some way expressing themselves naturally along the lines Nature intended for them.'" (W.I. Homer, "Robert Henri as a Portrait Painter," My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, Seattle, Washington, 1994, p. 13)
In the summer of 1915, Henri and his wife, Linda, accompanied George and Emma Bellows to Ogunquit, Maine. Henri described Ogunquit as, "a sort of straggling village made up of quiet-seeking respectables and natives and a considerable artist's colony..." Regarding the models, "there were plenty of children ready to earn the money, but they were...not inspiring..." (as quoted in B.B. Perlman, Robert Henri: His Life and Art, New York, 1991, p. 118) By August, Henri changed his opinion after finding a settlement of gypsies who served as models, including the present sitter, Patience. Henri wrote, "It appears that after all our coming here will prove a rather good thing for I already have a few things that are very good. Particularly of a gypsy child laughing--I think it is one of my very best in this type of work." (as quoted in V.A. Leeds, My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 34)
Henri's painting technique profoundly underscored the visual impact of his portraits. He writes about his style, "It is not the way you put paint on, but what you ask of it that counts. Our style is the way you talk in paint. The hair is wonder in its gamut from materialism to idealism, from detail to bigness...The line on the head between the hair and the face is often a great opportunity for expression in a picture...The eye of a young person is clear cut, of an old person indefinite...Make the forms of a garment so that a trip through its hills and dales will be delightful...Clothes should have not limpness but the beauty of activity. Great things should be happening, currents should be running through." (The Art Spirit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1923, pp. 249-57) Henri's works from 1915 were most likely influenced by his exposure to the European Fauves and Expressionists at the 1913 Armory Show, which inspired him to push his technique further. Henri's experimentation with unusual and vivid palettes and color combinations reached a climax in the Ogunquit portraits, particularly in the more than twenty canvases of Maine gypsies with the similarly vibrant background colors." (My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 34) Utilizing vigorous brushwork and saturated colors in reds and greens, Henri in Patience is able to distill the essence of the young gypsy girl.
Echoing in the numerous portraits painted toward the end of his career are his own words: "'If you paint children, you must have no patronizing attitude toward them. Whoever approaches a child without humility, without wonderment, and without infinite respect, misses in his judgment of what is before him...Paint with respect for him...He is the great possibility, the independent individual.' Emblematic of his universal and positive view of humankind, children had a particular spirit and sense of optimism that had powerful allure for Henri." (as quoted in My People: The Portraits of Robert Henri, p. 41) Patience exemplifies the hallmarks that make Henri's portraits some of his most coveted work. He combines the European style and the subject of New York Ashcan school to successfully portray the character of a young girl. Henri's heralded portraits such as Patience now remain as iconic images of humanity.