June 24, On This Day
Robert Henri
A painter and master teacher who made significant contributions to American art, Robert Henri was born on June 24, 1865, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born Robert Henry Cozad to a professional gambler and real estate developer, his family fled east when his father shot and killed a rancher over a land dispute. The artist changed his name around 1882 to dissociate himself from his father’s troubled past.
Snow in New York (1902)
As a young man, Henri studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against American academic art. He enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in October 1886, enthusiastic about embarking upon a career as an artist and writing that he wished to simply become a “picture painter”.
Salome (1909)
Henri became a leader of The Eight and the Ashcan School, pioneering American realism and depicting urban life in an uncompromisingly brutalist style. With colleagues including John Sloan, Everett Shinn, and William Glackens, Henri rebelled against the accepted subject matter and formal strictures of conservative art academies, encouraging his followers to paint everyday urban life in a loose gestural style.
Portrait of Fay Bainter (1918)
In 1908, Henri joined forces with seven other artists and mounted a single joint exhibition before being absorbed into the larger Ashcan School. A few years later, the eight painters were absorbed into the Ashcan School, which included George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Glenn Coleman, Eugene Higgins, and Jerome Myers.
Henri was not only a revolutionary painter but also an influential teacher who shaped a generation of American artists. He led a crusade away from traditional academic painting and sought to link art with life, not theories. His teaching philosophy emphasized authentic expression over technical perfection, inspiring students to find their own artistic voices.
Henri died on July 12, 1929, leaving behind a legacy that fundamentally changed American art. His rebellion against academic conventions opened doors for American artists to explore their own urban environment and social realities, making art more accessible and relevant to everyday American life.
Henri’s influence extended far beyond his own canvases — he democratized American art, proving that paintings of city streets, working people, and daily life could be just as powerful and meaningful as traditional academic subjects.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1916) Courtesy of Wikipedia.
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