Robert Henri (1865-1929)
Lesson 11
Robert Henri was an American portrait painter and teacher. He was a major leader of the Ashcan school and other groups that devoted their attention to painting realistic views of the lifestyles of those living in cities. He painted with loose brush strokes so that the casually dressed sitters look like people we might know. Henri painted the faces of children and grown-ups from Chinese, Dutch, Native American, African-American, and Spanish cultures. He painted people that he liked. From 1902 to the end of his life, Henri was an influential art teacher in New York art schools. There his ideas and techniques were passed on to many students of art who would become well-
known painters in American art history. Henri was influenced by the wispy lines of the Impressionists, but chose not to use their light colors. He preferred to use the dark colors that the academy artists favored. When lighter colors in faces are placed against these dark backgrounds, the light areas stand out. In this lesson we will explore light colors on dark backgrounds.
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