Robert Henri

Self-acquainta nce is a rare condition.

— Robert Henri

All is as beautiful as we think it.

— Robert Henri

Pretend you are dancing or singing a picture.

— Robert Henri

Battle against obscurity.

— Robert Henri

Your style is the way you talk in paint.

— Robert Henri

A weak background is a deadly thing.

— Robert Henri

Colors are beautiful when they are significant.

— Robert Henri

Knowledge of anatomy is a tool like good brushes.

— Robert Henri

Look for echoes. Sometimes the same shape or direction will echo through the picture.

— Robert Henri

You pass people on the street, some are for you, some are not.

— Robert Henri

Through art mysterious bonds of understanding and of knowledge are established among men.

— Robert Henri

Paint what you feel. Paint what you see. Paint what is real to you.

— Robert Henri

Personal experimentation is revealing, and once you get into it, immensely engaging.

— Robert Henri

It is the common defect of modern art study. Too many students do not know why they draw.

— Robert Henri

If the artist's will is not strong he will see all kinds of unessential things.

— Robert Henri

In certain books—some way in the first few paragraphs you know that you have met a brother.

— Robert Henri

All manifestations of art are but landmarks in the progress of the human spirit toward a thing but as yet sensed and…

— Robert Henri

Artists must be men of wit, consciously or unconsciously philosophers; read, study and think a great deal of life...

— Robert Henri

The man who has honesty, integrity, the love of inquiry, the desire to see beyond, is ready to appreciate good art.

— Robert Henri

Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything, well. It…

— Robert Henri

Do whatever you do intensely. The artist is the man who leaves the crowd and goes pioneering. With him there is an…

— Robert Henri

I have heard it very often said that an artist does not need intelligence, that his is the province of the soul

— Robert Henri

There is nothing more entertaining than to have a frank talk with yourself. Few do it-frankly. Educating yourself is getting acquainted with…

— Robert Henri

“Be venturesome. Try new things that appeal to you. Examine others. Have a pioneer spirit. Prevent your drawing from being common. Put…

— Robert Henri

There has never been a painting that was more beautiful than nature. The model does not unfold herself to you, you must…

— Robert Henri

I can think of no greater happiness than to be clear-sighted and know the miracle when it happens. And I can think…

— Robert Henri

Many receive a criticism and think it is fine; think they got their money's worth; think well of the teacher for it,…

— Robert Henri

Art need not be intended. It comes inevitably as the tree from the root, the branch from the trunk, the blossom from…

— Robert Henri

Know what the old masters did. Know how they composed their pictures, but do not fall into the conventions they established. These…

— Robert Henri

I am always sorry for the Puritan, for he guided his life against desire and against nature. He found what he thought…

— Robert Henri

The man who has honesty, integrity, the love of inquiry, the desire to see beyond, is ready to appreciate good art. He…

— Robert Henri

Good composition is like a suspension bridge; each line adds strength and takes none away... Making lines run into each other is…

— Robert Henri

It is harder to see than it is to express. The whole value of art rests in the artist's ability to see…

— Robert Henri

“Be game--take a chance--don't hide behind veils and veils of discretion... Go forward with what you have to say, expressing things as…

— Robert Henri

“I have no sympathy with the belief that art is the restricted province of those who paint, sculpt, make music and verse.…

— Robert Henri

There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual- become clairvoyant.…

— Robert Henri

“Through art mysterious bonds of understanding and of knowledge are established among men. They are the bonds of a great Brotherhood. Those…

— Robert Henri

“If we are cultivating fruit in an orchard, we wish that particular fruit to grow in its own way; we give it…

— Robert Henri

“The work of the art student is no light matter. Few have the courage and stamina to see it through. You have…

— Robert Henri

“If a new movement in art comes along be awake to it, study it, but don’t belong to it. Have a personal…

— Robert Henri