Robert Henri Biography Quotes 9 Report mistakes

Overview
Robert Henri, born Robert Henry Cozad in 1865, emerged as one of the most influential American artists and teachers of the early twentieth century. Best known as a leader of The Eight and a guiding force behind what came to be called the Ashcan School, he championed direct observation, vigorous brushwork, and a democratic spirit in subject matter. His portraits and urban scenes brought dignity to everyday people, and his teaching shaped generations of American painters. He died in 1929, leaving a legacy both on canvas and in the studios where he taught.

Early Life and Name Change
Henri was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to John Jackson Cozad, a gambler and town founder, and Theresa Gatewood Cozad. During the family's years on the Great Plains, his father established the town of Cozad, Nebraska. In 1882 a violent dispute ended with John J. Cozad fatally shooting a local rancher, an event that forced the family to leave and adopt new identities. Robert Henry Cozad soon reintroduced himself as Robert Henri, a name he pronounced hen-rye, and settled on an independent path that would define his career. The rupture of place and identity helped shape the fierce independence that marked his art and pedagogy.

Education and European Formation
Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, working closely with Thomas Anshutz, a former student of Thomas Eakins. Under Anshutz he absorbed the importance of drawing from life and the disciplined study of anatomy and light. Determined to refine his craft, he traveled to Paris and enrolled at the Académie Julian, where he encountered both academic training and the shock of modern painting in the salons. Encounters with the work of Edouard Manet and Diego Velazquez, and later with Frans Hals in the Netherlands and Goya in Spain, shaped his belief that the most compelling art was immediate, personal, and alive to the present. These European experiences tempered his technique and emboldened his brushwork, while reinforcing his commitment to portraiture as a vehicle for human character.

Philadelphia Circle and Move to New York
Back in Philadelphia, Henri moved within a circle of newspaper illustrators and aspiring painters that included William Glackens, George Luks, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan. Their camaraderie and debates about art and modern life fed Henri's conviction that American subjects deserved serious treatment. By the late 1890s he was dividing his time between painting and teaching, eventually moving to New York. There he joined the faculty of the New York School of Art, originally founded by William Merritt Chase. Henri's classroom became a crucible for a new American realism. Among the students and younger colleagues galvanized by his ideas were George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, and Stuart Davis, each of whom would carry aspects of his lessons into distinctive careers.

The Eight and the Ashcan Spirit
In 1908 Henri helped organize a landmark exhibition at the Macbeth Gallery in New York, bringing together a group that came to be known as The Eight: Arthur B. Davies, William Glackens, Robert Henri, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, Maurice Prendergast, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan. The show protested the juried conservatism of official institutions and asserted the right of artists to exhibit independently. Although stylistically diverse, the group shared a commitment to artistic freedom and a willingness to represent contemporary life with honesty. The exhibition's impact rippled outward, encouraging later independent efforts and lending momentum to the broader spirit that would welcome international modernism during the following decade.

Subjects, Travels, and Technique
Henri's paintings focus on the immediacy of presence: portraits of workers, performers, immigrants, children, and neighbors; city scenes alive with weather, motion, and grit; and figures encountered abroad. He traveled repeatedly to Spain, where he studied Velazquez and Goya at close range and painted dancers, bullfighters, and street people with dark tonalities and brisk, decisive strokes. He worked in the Netherlands and France, absorbing old master structure while maintaining modern urgency. He also spent time in Ireland, where portraits of children and villagers distilled his belief that character shines most clearly in unguarded moments. In the American Southwest, particularly New Mexico, he painted Native American and Hispanic sitters with deep respect, describing the individuality of each face and the dignity of local traditions.

Teacher, Mentor, and The Art Spirit
Henri's influence as a teacher rivals his importance as a painter. In New York he taught not only at the New York School of Art but later at the Art Students League, where his critiques were renowned for their candor and encouragement. He urged painters to cultivate an inner compass, to work from life, and to seize the energy of the moment. These principles crystallized in The Art Spirit, published in 1923, a compilation of his notes, letters, and talks that became a foundational text for American art students. The book emphasizes sincerity of vision over formula, and its aphoristic guidance resonated with artists as different as George Bellows and Edward Hopper, while remaining a touchstone for later generations.

Personal Life
Henri married Linda Craige, whose companionship sustained him during formative years; after her death he later married Marjorie Organ, an Irish-born artist and cartoonist. Marjorie Organ Henri continued to support and preserve his legacy following his death. The friendships that animated his professional life were equally central to his personal world: he remained close to John Sloan, William Glackens, and George Luks, debating art and politics, organizing shows, and advocating for artists' rights. These relationships grounded his belief that a vibrant artistic community could challenge institutions and broaden public understanding of art.

Later Years, Death, and Legacy
In his later years Henri maintained a vigorous schedule of painting and teaching, while his reputation grew. He exhibited widely, mentored established and emerging artists, and continued to argue for artist-run exhibitions and unjuried shows. He died in 1929 in New York. By then his impact was visible in the confidence of American painting to claim its own subjects and voice. Through the example of The Eight, the achievements of pupils such as Bellows, Hopper, Rockwell Kent, and Stuart Davis, and the enduring counsel of The Art Spirit, Henri helped shift American art toward modern life and personal vision. His portraits, with their searching eyes and rapid, humane touch, still embody the independence and generosity he urged upon his students: to look closely, paint honestly, and find the living spirit in the world at hand.

Our collection contains 9 quotes who is written by Robert, under the main topics: Motivational - Wisdom - Nature - Art - Habits.

Other people realated to Robert: John French Sloan (Artist), Jerome Myers (Artist)