ROBERT HENRI

Robert Henri, leader of the "Ashcan" School, was the ideal humanist who believed in the dignity of all mankind. This conviction is the key to understanding his portraits. In Macedonia -- Portrait of a Pueblo Indian Girl, we sense Henri's value of capturing unspoiled humanity and the true essence of the individual. The solidity of the sitter is expressed in simple, straight-forward terms. The background is situated to celebrate her nationality. Henri writes in his book "the Art Spirit" that a weak background is a deadly thing. The background was to be a compliment and an extension of the sitter. Henri held precious the nationality of his subjects.