Herself
Robert Henri
1913
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
81.3 × 66 cm (32 × 26 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
13742
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Robert Henri painted Himself (1924.912) and Herself (Irish terms of endearment for a husband and wife) during a summer trip to Ireland; the canvases depict the fisherman Johnnie Cummings and his wife, Biddy. The rich hues and thick, lush paint add depth to the works, while the figures’ elusive expressions and informal poses give them a brusque, forthright quality. Each portrait reveals a distinctive character and, according to Henri, was meant to be a dynamic example of “humanity in the making, ...