Gregorita with the Santa Clara Bowl 1917

Robert Henri painted Gregorita with the Santa Clara Bowl with oil on canvas. It's so interesting to me, to look at a painting that's ostensibly a portrait, but it's just as much about the bowl, right? You can tell Henri was fascinated by the cool, deep color and the dark, soft curves of the bowl. Did he ask her to pose with the Santa Clara Bowl, or did he ask to paint her because she was holding it? I'm imagining Henri, his process, the way he built up the paint, almost scrubbed it into the canvas. The surface texture and the brushstrokes are so expressive. Look how he defined her blue dress with those economical gestures. The red in her cheeks echos the red of the sash. It's this connection, this conversation across time, that makes painting so endlessly compelling. Each artist adds their voice, their vision, building on what came before. It's not just about depicting something, it's about feeling something.