Fisherman's Daughter 1910

Robert Henri made this painting, Fisherman's Daughter, using oils. He used a simple palette and you can see the marks he made searching for the right form with his brush. The dark background really pushes the girl’s face and torso forward. Look closely and you’ll see how Henri uses thick strokes of red on her cheeks and lips, almost like she’s blushing or playing dress-up. Those reds create a feeling of warmth and energy, but it's contrasted with the dark, muted tones of her clothes and the background. The paint is applied with real physicality. You can almost feel Henri's hand moving across the canvas, building up the form with layers of pigment. Henri’s painting reminds me of Manet, another artist interested in capturing the fleeting expressions of everyday life. Both artists were less interested in perfect representation and more in capturing a particular moment, a specific feeling.