Sandy 1926

Robert Henri made this oil painting called Sandy, and just look at those rosy cheeks, and that dark shadowy ground. Imagine the painting itself coming into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Henri, I wonder what it might have been like to create this. What might he have been thinking? I'd guess he was interested in portraiture. The paint is pretty thin, which shapes our experience of the painting and contributes to its emotional and intellectual resonance. His brush strokes are very considered. Henri's work is connected to a wider practice and body of work and that of other painters. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.