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Robert Henri
(1865-1929), Macedonia--Portrait of a Pueblo Indian
Girl, c. 1917, oil on canvas, 32 x 26 inches
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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.
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