Blind Singers 1912

Robert Henri captured these two figures with oil on canvas in a flurry of ochre and brown tones. I can only imagine Henri’s artistic process, standing back, squinting, and then lunging in to place those broad brushstrokes. The woman on the right seems to be looking intently at the strings, her fingers dance across the fretboard as if knowing their way. The other is gazing upwards. I wonder, was Henri trying to freeze a moment of harmonious exchange? Or perhaps the painting is more about the feeling evoked by their music, rather than a literal depiction of it. Henri’s quick, fluid brushwork reminds me of Manet. Both had an interest in capturing a moment, a feeling, and a mood. The surface is alive with these gestures. He is in conversation with other painters, trying to create a space for the eye to wander and the mind to ponder.