Provenance
The artist (1865–1929), New York [Henri inventory record 84M; copy in curatorial object file]; by descent to his wife, Marjorie Organ Henri (1886–1930), New York; by descent to the Henri estate, New York, 1929; sold through Chapellier Galleries, New York [this and the following according to object record, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery; copy in curatorial object file]. J. Chernis [this and the following according to Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery 1971, 55]. With Hirschl & Adler, New York, by 1971; sold to Olga N. Sheldon (born Nielson; also Mrs. A. Bromley Sheldon, 1897–1990), Lexington, NE, 1971 [this and the following according to email from Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Nov. 27, 2023; copy in curatorial object file]; given through her estate to the University of Nebraska Foundation, Lincoln, Dec. 31, 1982; by exchange with Chapellier Galleries, New York, Jan. 1984; sold to John W. Puth (1929–2023) and Betsey Puth (1929–2024; born Leeds Tait), Winnetka, IL, Jan. 22, 1987 [invoice and correspondence from Chapellier Galleries to John W. and Betsey Puth, Dec. 29, 1986, and Jan. 22, 1987; copies in curatorial object file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2023.
Accession Number
271465
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
81.3 × 66.4 cm (32 × 26 1/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Betsey Leeds Puth
Background & Context
Background Story
Robert Henris Old Spaniard from 1924 is an oil painting that depicts an elderly Spanish man with the directness and vitality that distinguish the Ashcan School leaders approach to portraiture, in which the character and personality of the sitter are more important than the conventions of social representation. Henri, who spent the winters of the 1920s traveling in Europe and Mexico in search of subjects whose faces expressed what he called the great human fundamentals of joy, sorrow, and dignity, found in the Old Spaniard a sitter whose weathered face and direct gaze embodied the qualities of character that he sought in his portraits. The Spanish subject reflects Henris interest in the ethnic types that he found in his travels, and the Old Spaniard is one of a series of portraits of Spanish, Irish, and Mexican subjects that he produced during the 1920s, each of which emphasizes the dignity and individuality of the sitter rather than the picturesque qualities that a less sympathetic artist might have emphasized. The oil on canvas medium, applied with the broad, confident brushstrokes that characterize Henris mature style, creates a surface that vibrates with the energy of the encounter between artist and sitter. The year 1924 places this painting in the final decade of Henris career, when he was producing some of his most accomplished portraits while continuing to advocate for the philosophy of personal expression that he had articulated in The Art Spirit.
Cultural Impact
Henris portraits of ethnic types from the 1920s are significant contributions to the tradition of American portraiture, demonstrating his commitment to representing the dignity and individuality of people from diverse backgrounds. Old Spaniard influenced the development of American realist portraiture and the broader tradition of art that celebrates individual character.
Why It Matters
A 1924 oil portrait by Henri of an old Spanish man, emphasizing dignity and individuality with broad confident brushstrokes that capture the great human fundamentals of character in the Ashcan School tradition of direct encounter and personal expression.
