Indian Village 1917

Robert Henri made this painting, Indian Village, with loose brushstrokes of oil paint. This evocative scene raises interesting questions about the public role of art. Henri was a member of the Ashcan school of American artists who turned to urban realism in the early 20th century. This work depicts an indigeounus community with sensitivity, but also from the outside. While the Ashcan school wanted to reflect real life, they were not always free from idealization and their paintings could reflect the cultural biases of their time. By learning more about the culture Henri was working in, one can start to ask what his work contributes to the social and political discourse of the time. Art history is a valuable tool for understanding paintings as contingent objects, based in a specific context.