Monhegan Island, Maine 1911

Robert Henri painted ‘Monhegan Island, Maine’ with fluid brushstrokes, mostly in greys, greens and browns. I imagine him standing outside, trying to capture a scene that is constantly changing. I can sympathize with Henri’s desire to put it all down, to record the way the land meets the sky and the ocean on a blustery day. I can see the brushstrokes following the shapes of the clouds, mirroring the movement of the water, trying to lay down what he sees quickly. I can feel the materiality of the paint, how it drags and pushes across the surface, how some areas are thicker than others. It is easy to imagine Henri and other painters spending time in a place like Monhegan, trying to capture its beauty in their own way, and inspiring each other to see and feel more deeply. Painting is like an ongoing conversation, across time and space.