Letecia 1925

Robert Henri made this painting, Letecia, with oil on canvas, and it just sings with the freedom of process. Look at the juicy brushstrokes, all loaded with feeling. The colour palette has this wonderful, almost clashing harmony - those rosy cheeks against the deep blues and browns. Henri wasn't trying to hide the materiality of paint. It's right there on the surface, thick and expressive, especially around the girl's face. You can almost feel the pressure of the brush, the confidence in each dab of colour. There's a particularly delicious mark right above her left cheek, a little swirl of pink that brings the whole face alive. It's a tiny detail, but it's the kind of mark that tells you everything about Henri's approach. Henri's work reminds me a little of Manet, actually, in the way he captures a fleeting moment with such directness. Both artists seem to understand that a painting doesn't have to explain everything; it just has to make you feel something.