Dancer in a Red Skirt, No. 2 c. 1912

Robert Henri made this drawing, Dancer in a Red Skirt, No. 2, with graphite and watercolor on paper. Look at the way Henri’s marks create a dynamic figure emerging from the page! The watercolor washes are so fluid, particularly in that red skirt. I can imagine Henri, charcoal in hand, quickly sketching, trying to capture the fleeting moment of a dancer in motion. He must have been thinking about Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec, those other masters of capturing dancers. You can almost see the influence, but Henri brings his own distinct American sensibility. Notice the way the shadow anchors the figure, giving her weight, while the delicate lines of her body suggest movement. The red skirt, a burst of color, almost seems to float. It's like he’s in conversation with all these artists, each pushing and pulling, responding to the dance of color, form, and emotion. And now we get to join the conversation too.