Celestina 1908

Robert Henri made this painting, Celestina, with oil on canvas, and it's really something. There's this wonderful economy to the way he's put the paint down. Look at the way the dark background is built up from these loose layers. You can tell that he's really thinking about the physical properties of the medium. The figure is rendered in these really broad, gestural brushstrokes. It’s like he's trying to capture an essence, a feeling, more than a photographic likeness. Those thick daubs of color around the eyes and cheekbones especially – they’re almost sculptural. It’s a way of seeing that reminds me of some of the quick portrait sketches of John Singer Sargent. He's another artist who used to play around with capturing a fleeting impression. Ultimately, a painting like this reminds us that art is about more than just what you see – it's about how you see, and feel. It's about the messy, unpredictable process of bringing something new into the world.