Summer Storm 1902

Robert Henri’s “Summer Storm” looks like it was dashed off in one sitting, maybe two, en plein air, to capture that exact, fleeting moment of change as the weather rolls in. I imagine Henri feeling the pressure to record what’s in front of him before it’s too late. You can almost feel him pushing the paint around, trying to get it down fast enough. The sky is a mass of turbulent strokes, thick and dark, like the storm is breathing down on the lone tree in the foreground. But, wow, that vivid green of the tree. I bet it was like a slap in the face. It must have felt good to paint that aliveness, to capture the last light. It's that kind of detail that reminds us that artists are always in conversation with each other. Each painting builds on the last, and sparks the next. And each stroke, each color choice, is like a little act of bravery.