Gypsy with Cigarette 1906

Robert Henri’s ‘Gypsy with Cigarette’ is like a jazz riff played with oil paints! You can feel the artist building the form with brushstrokes that are thick with intention, yet loose and free. Look at the fiery red scarf against the dark coat, it’s a jolt of energy, like a musical note held just long enough to make you feel it. You can imagine Henri stepping back, squinting, then leaning in to lay down another daub of color. He’s part of a lineage, riffing on what came before, in his own key. I bet he looked at Manet and thought, ‘Yeah, I can do that, but I’ll twist it.’ And that’s what painting is, right? It’s a conversation between artists across time. Each one speaking through the language of paint. The way the brush strokes sit is crucial, so that the eye is constantly moving and searching. In the end, it's always about feeling something, isn't it?