Spirit of Robert Henri Descriptors: Artists K-T

JERENE KRUSE

Albion, Nebraska

Stirring in the Soul

Fused Glass

I have always appreciated and valued a tree. Since I grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills without many trees, I have considered how a tree managed to grow in an area without much water or care. Did a homesteader plant it, or the wind blow the seed? A tree can be a welcome sight on the prairie for a bit of shade or a branch for a bird nest. Oh, what a story a tree could tell us!

The fused glass piece was created with three layers of glass. I used sheet, powdered, and various sizes of crushed glass. It has been fired in a kiln twice to give the viewer a sense of distance.

“In a tree there is a spirit of life, spirit of growth and a spirit of holding its head up.” --Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

KATHLEEN LOHR

Columbus, Nebraska

From Grit to Color

Pastel

The often-gritty realities of contemporary urban life were the subjects of paintings of the Ashcan school. As a founding member, much of Henri’s work exhibited those characteristics which hallmarked the group—aggressive brushwork, harsh contrasts of light and shadow and restrained use of color. However, after his exposure to the bold colors his European counterparts exhibited at the revolutionary Armory Exhibition of 1913, Henri’s palette brightened. This coincided with his first trip to Ireland where his subject matter was transformed as well, dominated by the range and character of the island's children. Henri particularly enjoyed painting children, and their portraits account for a large part of his oeuvre.

"Feel the dignity of a child. Do not feel superior to him, for you are not.” —Robert Henri

DEBORAH MONFELT

Wymore, Nebraska

The Simplicity of Night

Oil

I have read Robert Henri’s book, The Art Spirit, twice! I am always amazed at how contemporary it seems having been written in 1923. It is certainly a wealth of insight and a treasure for any artist. Henri cultivated spontaneity and honesty in painting. In this work of art, I refer to a very singular and specific

“Try to reduce everything you see to the utmost simplicity. That is, let nothing but the things that are of the utmost importance to you have any place. The more simply you see, the more simply you will render.” --Robert Henri

JULIA NOYES

Lincoln, Nebraska

My Name is Lavender

Acrylic

Integrating shapes and color is a big part of my painting style. For this portrait, I’m following Henri’s advice to consider the importance of the background in supporting the portrait. The background should have a beautiful relationship with the head of the model. How have I used color to integrate the head with the background?

“A background is not to be neglected. It is a structural factor. It is as important to the head before it as the pier is important to the bridge it carries. The background is the support of the head.” --Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

TIM O'NEILL

North Platte, Nebraska

Cipher

Mixed Media

This portrait bridges digital origins and traditional craftsmanship, much as Robert Henri bridged academic training and revolutionary artistic expression. Beginning as a digital painting based on my own photography, the image was transferred to a panel made from reclaimed school bleachers, then transformed through layers of pigment, pan pastel, graphite, plaster, and tempera before being unified with encaustic.

The subject's ambiguous expression is an attempt to embody Henri's belief that a portrait should capture "not a mask, but a living presence." Her gaze invites interpretation while remaining ultimately mysterious—a cipher that suggests meaning while resisting definitive reading. This layered approach echoes Henri's teaching that "technique must be solid, positive, but elastic, must not fall into formula, must adapt itself to the idea."

Just as Henri revealed the humanity in his subjects through both revelation and concealment, "Cipher" presents a face that emerges from and recedes into its layers—an invitation to look deeper than surface appearances.

PATRICIA SCHEMMER

Valentine, Nebraska

Fishing with Henri

Pastel

One hundred years ago, in 1924, Robert Henri found fishing. This is a passion I share with him. He lived the perfect life on Achill Island in Ireland: art in the morning and fishing afternoons till dark. I find that the peace of fishing helps me work out problems in my life and in my art. These two seemingly different activities have so much in common: concentration, awareness of your surroundings, living in the now, patience, and perseverance. Both activities take dedication to learn and lots of practice, practice, and more practice to learn. Fishing feeds the body, and art feeds your soul.

DONNA SCHIMONITZ

Lincoln, Nebraska

Día de Muertos

Original Digital

Robert Henri’s works are of beauty, mood and light. The eyes are the focal point with splashes of contrasting color. Your eye wanders through the paintings following the looser brushstrokes that tell so much. Primarily dark backgrounds keep the focus on the model. Various ethnicities are portrayed, as are varied social classes.

My Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrant captures the essence of Henri’s style – beautiful sparkling eyes that draw you in, with the looser brushwork of her hair. The marigold wreath on her head is still portrayed with detail to reflect the flower being a valued symbol of life, unity and remembrance.

PATSY SMITH

North Platte, Nebraska

Robert Henri

Acrylic

Robert Cozad Henri was a renowned artist, a great teacher, a creative man. A compilation of his teachings, The Art Spirit, graces so many artists' libraries even today. He was a child of the Nebraska town of Cozad, where his father settled, but quickly uprooted the family after shooting a local rancher. They headed east to Philadelphia. He was an innovator of art groups: “School of Design for Women”, Member of “The Eight,” the “Ash Can Group,” and he burst forth with new ideas of painting in impressionistic and modern style. He was very successful, winning many awards. Robert settled in New York and taught at the New York School of Art. He died of cancer in 1929 at the age of 64.

JOAN SWIM

Springview, Nebraska

Gretchen with Bella en Plein Air

Oil

“Art is simply a result of expression during right feeling. It’s a result of a grip on the fundamentals of nature, the spirit of life, the constructive force, the secret of growth, the real understanding of the importance of things, order, balance. Any material will do. After all, the object is not to make art, but to be in the wonderful state of which makes art inevitable.” --Robert Henri

During this outdoor event, artists aimed to capture nature's beauty through "plein air" painting. While many focused on their surroundings, I found inspiration in the artists at their easels. Robert Henri used outdoor studies as references for his studio work.

AMY TOMASEVICZ

Columbus, Nebraska

Creative Spirit

Pastel

Robert Henri once stated, “Don’t worry about your originality. You couldn’t get rid of it even if you wanted to. It will stick with you and show up for better or worse in spite of all you do or anyone else can do.” This painting is from a photo I took of one of my first-graders in art class. She was so absorbed in her creative mission, she didn’t notice when I photographed her, and she certainly wasn’t worried about originality, just as Henri predicted.

Stirring in the Soul

From Grit to Color

Henri

The Simplicity of Night

My Name is Lavender

Cipher

My Great-Grandfather Michael

Fishing with Henri

Día de Muertos

A Sunset for Henri

Robert Henri

Gretchen with Bella en Plein Air

Creative Spirit