Robert Henri

About Robert Henri

A highly influential painter and teacher, Henri championed urban realism and is viewed as the leader of The Eight and the Ashcan School. The Cincinnati-born Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in Europe before establishing himself in New York.

A highly influential painter and teacher, Henri championed urban realism and is viewed as the leader of The Eight and the Ashcan School. The Cincinnati-born Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in Europe before establishing himself in New York. Although highly successful, he chafed at the conservative nature of the city's art establishment, and created controversy when in 1908 he helped to organize and participated in an independent exhibition with a group of artists who together would come to be known as The Eight. This group (the core of the so-called Ashcan School) broke new ground in their choice of subject matter, focusing on scenes of everyday urban life in New York, without overlooking its grittier side. Henri painted landscapes and city scenes, although he concentrated primarily on portraiture and figural work. He depicted all sorts of individuals, from street urchins to exotic foreigners to elegant young women. In choosing subjects regardless of their race or economic status, he democratized a genre of painting that had traditionally focused on the upper classes. Henri's work is characterized by bold, slashing brushstrokes and generous application of paint. He progressively incorporated more color into his palette, particularly after 1909, when he became interested in color theory. He also worked frequently in pastel over the course of his career.

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