Upper Hudson 1917

Robert Henri's Upper Hudson is a landscape made with oil on canvas. Look at the cool palette—muted greys, whites, and blacks—it feels like a winter's day. The paint is applied thinly, in layers that create a sense of depth and atmosphere, a real tonal study. I can imagine Henri standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture the stillness of the scene. Maybe he was thinking about the Ashcan School and their urban scenes, yet here he is, finding beauty in the quiet, frozen landscape of the Hudson. That dark mass of rock, the way it looms over the river, it reminds me of Courbet's dramatic rock formations. Each brushstroke is a decision, a response to what he sees and feels, but also what other painters have felt. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Exchanging ideas, challenging each other. Painting is embodied expression which embraces ambiguity, allowing multiple readings of the same scene.