Francisquita 1923

Robert Henri painted Francisquita using oil on canvas, but we don't know exactly when. It's fascinating how Henri captures light, almost as if he's sculpting with it. His brushstrokes are confident and direct, the pinks in her cheeks, the dark blocks of her hair. You get a sense of artmaking as a real-time act. The materiality is so present, thick and thin paint describing form, yet also asserting its own presence. Look at how the yellow ruffled trim around her neckline is rendered – each stroke distinct, almost playful. It doesn’t just depict fabric; it's about the gesture of painting itself. That dark background is crucial, pushing her forward, like a stage. Henri's work reminds me a little of Manet, in the way he fearlessly used black and captured modern life. But Henri is more raw, more about the immediate experience of painting. Ultimately, it's a painting that keeps asking questions, and invites you to do the same.