Portrait of Mary Patten 1924

Robert Henri made this portrait of Mary Patten with oil on canvas, and it’s like, whoa, the boldness of the brushstrokes! You can see each mark, and it’s like you’re right there, watching him work. I can imagine Henri, stepping back, squinting, then diving in again, laying down these confident strokes of color. The dark blues and greens that surround her practically vibrate against the orangey-red of her dress, they capture your eye. Look at the little bit of orange that he added to her cheeks! Henri was part of the Ashcan School, and you can really feel that in the realness of this portrait. It’s not fussy or idealized. It's like he's showing us a real kid, maybe a little shy, but definitely there, in that moment. It’s an exchange, you know? These painters remind us that art’s always a conversation. They showed it to us; now we see it too.