Henri, Robert (hĕn`rī), 1865–1929, American painter and teacher, b. Cincinnati as Robert Henry Cozad. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1888 he went to Paris, where he worked at Julian's and the Beaux-Arts until, dissatisfied with the schools, he set up his own studio. In 1891 he returned to Philadelphia. As a member of the group of artists known as the Eight Eight, the, group of American artists in New York City, formed in 1908 to exhibit paintings. They were men of widely different tendencies, held together mainly by their common opposition to academism.
..... Click the link for more information. , he participated in the rebellion against academic art. Henri became one of the foremost American art teachers. First in Philadelphia, then at the Chase School in New York City, at his own school (1909–12), and at the Art Students League he inspired his students with his dynamic concept of art. Opposed to the formalization of style, he viewed art as a medium to express life and especially humanity. Among his pupils were George Bellows Bellows, George Wesley, 1882–1925, American painter, draftsman, and lithographer, b. Columbus, Ohio; son of an architect and builder. In his senior year he left Ohio State Univ. to study painting under Robert Henri in New York City.
..... Click the link for more information. , Rockwell Kent Kent, Rockwell, 1882–1971, American painter, muralist, wood engraver, lithographer, book and magazine illustrator, and writer, b. Tarrytown, N.Y. Kent studied with William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri .
..... Click the link for more information. , and Edward Hopper Hopper, Edward, 1882–1967, American painter and engraver, b. Nyack, N.Y., studied in New York City with Robert Henri. Hopper lived in France for a year but was little influenced by the artistic currents there.
..... Click the link for more information. . In his own work, Henri excelled in dramatic portraits. Characteristic are his Spanish Gypsy (Metropolitan Mus.); Young Woman in Black, Himself, and Herself (Art Inst., Chicago); and Girl with a Fan (Pennsylvania Acad. of the Fine Arts).

Bibliography

See his Art Spirit (1960); study by W. I. Homer (1969).

Henri, Robert

orig. Robert Henry Cozad

(born June 25, 1865, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died July 12, 1929, New York, N.Y.) U.S. painter. He studied in Philadelphia and Paris, taught art in Philadelphia, and, after settling in New York City in 1900, became the leader of the young realist artists known as The Eight. He exhibited with The Eight in 1908 and later at the Armory Show (1913). As a portrait painter he demonstrated facile brushwork, lively colours, and an ability to catch fleeting gestures and expressions. He is best remembered as a teacher, principally at New York's Art Students League (1915–28), where he became one of the most influential art teachers in the U.S. and a powerful force in turning young artists away from academicism and toward the rich subject matter of modern city life. His belief in the artist as a social force led to the formation of the Ash Can school.

Henri, Robert (1865–1929) painter, teacher; born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Thomas Anshutz, and in Paris (1888). As a painter and a teacher he influenced a whole generation of artists, and became the founder of the so-called Ashcan school of painting, which stressed contemporary urban reality. In opposition to the restrictions of the National Academy, he set up an independent exhibition called "The Eight" (1908), whose members included John Sloan and George Luks. Although an academic painter, his teaching methods were considered radical at the time.