Summer Storm 1902

Robert Henri made "Summer Storm" with oil paint on what looks like a canvas panel, and what strikes me first is the drama of the quick-changing weather implied through the brushwork. Look at the way the brushstrokes capture the light just before the rain! The paint is applied in these loose, confident strokes, like Henri was trying to catch the moment before it slipped away. It's not about detail; it's about feeling the weight of the clouds and the freshness of the green. There’s a kind of bravery in how little information he gives us. I love how the dark storm clouds seem to mirror the dark of the treeline - bringing the landscape into a sense of complete closure, a circle of vision. Henri was part of the Ashcan School, a group of artists who painted everyday life in New York. And though this is a landscape, you see that same spirit here, that capturing of the real, in the moment. You can see a similar impulse at play in some of George Bellows' cityscapes. It’s about being true to the feeling, not just the facts. Art is about the conversation, the exchange, the push and pull. And in the end, it's always more question than answer.