Figure in Motion

Robert Henri’s monumental Figure in Motion presents a nude woman in a dance-like pose that could be a single moment in a complex movement unfolding over time. The figure twists gracefully as she steps from one foot to the other, her head turned slightly toward the light striking her body from the right. Complementing the motion suggested by the figure’s pose, Henri painted it using active brushwork that emphasizes his process of applying paint to canvas, and he allowed the greenish ground to show through the thinly painted flesh tones for a deliberately unfinished look. He highlighted the model against a dark nondescript setting for an almost theatrical effect. The rough, mottled blue and green of the background wall seems to subtly vibrate, complementing the figure’s animated posture.

Henri’s command of pose and anatomy reflects his early training at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where realist painter Thomas Eakins had established a tradition of figural art grounded in scientific observation. At the time Henri painted Figure in Motion he was best known for realist urban scenes and portraits, however, and he had painted few nudes for exhibition. Yet this work was created for a specific, very important event: the so-called Armory Show of 1913, a showcase for American and European modernist art. Henri intended it as a statement of his personal artistic credo of individualism, unflinching realism, and freedom from the conventions of academic art. In choosing the nude for the subject of this major painting he confronted those conventions directly, for the unclothed female figure was a venerable subject in academic practice. In contrast to the generalized, idealized nude of artistic tradition, Henri portrayed his dark-eyed model as a modern individual, with her loose cropped hair and non-classical facial features. At the Armory Show, however, Figure in Motion appeared less than radical in comparison with avant-garde representations of the nude by such European artists as Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) and Henri Matisse (1869–1954), which challenged the fundamental premise of illusionistic representation. Henri’s student George Bellows indicated yet another direction for the development of modernism in his 1909 Nude Girl, Miss Leslie Hall (TF 1999.5), which unlike Henri’s image is strikingly unposed and brutally honest.

The fluid gesture of Henri’s model as she raises herself on her toes recalls the emerging art of modern dance. Indeed, Henri followed the work of Isadora Duncan, one of its early champions, and portrayed another in costume in Ruth St. Denis in the Peacock Dance (1919; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Like these dancers, Henri saw bodily pose and gesture as manifestations of both inner consciousness and the natural rhythms of the universe. In his effort to capture in his paintings what he called “vital energies,” he drew on the concept of dynamic flux articulated by influential French philosopher Henri Bergson. In Figure in Motion, Henri posited that the relentless motion and change that characterized modernity could be equated with the eternal dynamism of life itself.

The International Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture (also known as The Armory Show), The Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc. (organizer). Venues: The Armory of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, New York, New York, February 17–March 15, 1913; The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, March 24–April 15, 1913.

The 1913 Armory Show in Retrospect, Mead Arts Building at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts (organizer). Venue: Mead Arts Building at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, February 17–March 17, 1958. [exh. cat.]

The 1913 Armory Show-50th Anniversary Exhibition, The Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York (organizer). Venues: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York, February 17–March 31, 1963; The Armory of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, New York, New York, April 6–28, 1963. [exh. cat.]

Three Centuries of the American Nude, The New York Cultural Center, New York, New York (organizer). Venues: The New York Cultural Center, New York, New York, May 9–July 13, 1975; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 6–September 21, 1975; University of Houston Fine Arts Center, Houston, Texas, October 3–November 16, 1975. [exh. cat.]

Things Seen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska (organizer). Venues: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, September 5–October 1, 1978; Mulvane Art Center, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, October 8–November 5, 1978; Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, November 15–December 16, 1978; Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri, January 2–January 28, 1979; Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas, February 4–March 11, 1979; Union National Bank, Manhattan, Kansas, March 18–April 22, 1979; McIlroy Bank and Trust, Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 29–June 3, 1979; Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 10–July 15, 1979; Hutchinson Public Library, Hutchinson, Kansas, July 22–August 26, 1979. [exh. cat.]

Woman, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, February 21–April 22, 1984. [exh. cat.]

A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]

Painters of a New Century: The Eight, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizer). Venues: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 6–November 3, 1991; The Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, December 7, 1991–February 16, 1992; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 16–June 7, 1992; The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, New York, June 26–September 21, 1992. [exh. cat.]

Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 1994.

Henri's Disciples: William Glackens & John Sloan, Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (organizer). Venue: Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 5–April 2, 1995.

Figures and Forms: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 9–July 9, 2000.

(Re)Presenting Women, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 16, 2001–January 13, 2002.

Deux collections en regard: oeuvres de la Terra Foundation for the Arts et du Detroit Institute of Arts (Side by Side: Works from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Detroit Institute of Arts), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 2–June 1, 2003. [exh. cat.]

Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 2003.

Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]

Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Crakow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Crakow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]

The Eight and American Modernisms, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizers). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, March 6–May 24, 2009; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 6–August 23, 2009. [exh. cat.]

Anatomy/Academy, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (organizer). Venue: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, January 29–April 17, 2011. [exh. cat.]

Extended loan to Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2011–September 2013.

The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution, New York Historical Society & Museum, New York, New York (organizer). Venue: New York Historical Society & Museum, October 11, 2013–February 23, 2014. [exh. cat].

Once Upon a Time in America: Three Centuries of US American Art (Es war einmal in Amerika: 300 Jahre Us-Amerikanishe Kunst), Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne, Germany (organizer). Venue: Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne, Germany, November 23, 2018–March 24, 2019. [exh. cat.]

International Exhibition of Modern Art. (exh. cat., Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc.) New York: Vreeland Advertising Press, 1913. Text p. 58, no. 835 (checklist); ill. p. 87, no. 835.

International Exhibition of Modern Art. (exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago). Chicago: Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc., 1913. Text no. 157 (checklist).

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The 1913 Armory Show in Retrospect. (exh. cat., Mead Arts Building at Amherst College). Amherst, Massachusetts: Amherst College, 1958. Text p. 20, cat. no. 22.

The 1913 Armory Show: 50th Anniversary Exhibition. (exh. cat., The Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute). Utica, New York: The Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1963. Ill. no. 835, p. 104.

Trapp, Frank Anderson. “The Armory Show: A Review.” Art Journal 23, no. 1 (Autumn 1963): 2–9. Text p. 9.

“Exhibition: 40 Examples by Robert Henri.” Art Journal 23, no. 3 (Spring 1964): 233. Ill. p. 233 (black & white).

Homer, William Innes. Robert Henri and His Circle. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1969. Text p. 257; ill. p. 259, fig. 6 (black & white).

Geske, Norman A. Things Seen. (exh. cat., Sheldon Museum of Art). Lincoln, Nebraska: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 1974. Text p. 16; ill. p. 17 (black & white).

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Nochlin, Linda. Woman. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Evanston, Illinois: Terra Museum of American Art, 1984. Ill. p. 35, no. 40 (color).

Weil, Dorothy. “The Emancipator.” Cincinnati Magazine (October 1984): 22–24. Text p. 22.

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Milroy, Elizabeth. Painters of a New Century: The Eight. (exh. cat., Milwaukee Art Museum). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Milwaukee Art Museum, 1991. Text pp. 66, 179; ill. p. 179, no. 74 (black & white).

Martinez, Andrew. “A Mixed Reception for Modernism: The 1913 Armory Show at the Art Institute of Chicago.” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 19, no. 1 (1993): 30-57, 102–105. Text pp. 45, 46; ill. p. (black & white, appears in installation photograph).

Figure in Motion, Robert Henri. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 1994. Ill. (black & white).

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Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. An American Point of View: The Daniel J. Terra Collection. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 154, 198; ill. pp. 15 (color), 155 (color), 198 (black & white).

Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Un regard transatlantique. La collection d'art américain de Daniel J. Terra. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 154, 198; ill. pp. 15 (color), 155 (color), 198 (black & white).

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Side by Side: Works from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Detroit Institute of Arts. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text p. 22 (checklist).

Deux collections en regard: oeuvres de la Terra Foundation for the Arts et du Detroit Institute of Arts. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Giverny: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, 2003. Text p. 22 (checklist).

Roman, Shelly. Art in Motion: The Philosophy and Paintings of Robert Henri. Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2004. Text p. v, fig. 1 (checklist); pp. vii, 1–2, 50–55, 66n137, 66n140, 67n149, 67n153; ill. p. 69, fig. 1 (black & white); p. 70, fig. 2 (black & white, appears in installation photograph).

Lévy, Sophie, et al. Visages de L’amérique: le portrait dans la collection de la Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1770–1940. Giverny: Musée d'Art Américain, 2004. Text p. 32 (checklist).

Lévy, Sophie, et al. Faces of America: Portraits of the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, 1770–1940. Giverny: Musée d'Art Américain, 2004. Text p. 32 (checklist).

Robert Henri: The Painted Spirit. (exh cat. Gerald Peters Gallery). New York, New York: Gerald Peters Gallery, 2005. Text pp. 23–24; ill. p.22, fig. 8 (black & white).

Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Text p. 114; ill. p. 115 (color).

Kennedy, Elizabeth et al. The Eight and American Modernisms. (exh. cat., New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2009. Text pp. 20, 47, 58, 175 (checklist); ill. p. 12 (color).

Cozzolino, Robert, Anna O. Marley, and Julien Robson. Anatomy/Academy Philadelphia: Nexus of Art and Science. (exh. cat., Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 2011. Text p. 54 (checklist); ill. p. 40 (color).

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Johnson, Ken. “Reliving the Show that ‘Dropped Like a Bomb.’” The New York Times (October 10, 2013). Accessed January 10, 2017. Ill. (color, appears in installation photograph).

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Werbel, Amy. "The Crime of the Nude: Anthony Comstock, the Art Students League of New York, and the Origins of Modern American Obscenity." Winterthur Portfolio 48, no. 4 (Winter 2014): 249-282. Text p. 279; ill. fig. 28, p. 281, fig. 28 (color).

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Bourguignon, Katherine M., and Peter John Brownlee, eds. Conversations with the Collection: A Terra Foundation Collection Handbook. Chicago: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2018. Text pp. 202, 203; ill. p. 202, detail pp. 204–205 (color).

Schaefer, Barbara and Anita Hachmann, eds. Es War Einmal in Amerika: 300 Jahre US-Amerikanische Kunst. (exh. cat. Wallraf-Richartz Museum). Köln: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud. Text pp. 454; ill. p. 455 (color).