Gregorita with the Santa Clara Bowl 1917

Robert Henri made this painting, "Gregorita with the Santa Clara Bowl", with oil on canvas. It's interesting how Henri uses these loose, expressive brushstrokes to build up the form of Gregorita and the bowl, a real testament to the physicality of painting. You can almost feel the texture of the canvas beneath the layers of paint. Look closely, and you'll see how the colors aren't just flat, but kind of shimmering and alive. There's this blue in her dress, which isn't just blue, it's like a dozen different blues all mixed together, bouncing off the light. And how the bowl is more of a presence than a description of a bowl. I'm reminded of some of Manet's portraits. Like Manet, Henri is not just capturing a likeness, but something about the sitter's inner world. It’s like he is asking what it means to make a painting, not just to see it.