Having a Say

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Spain 1902 Robert Henri

At moments of confusion and doubt, we return to reading the classics like The Art Spirit by Robert Henri. We’ve written before about Henri’s interesting life story and unlikely childhood. The son of a riverboat gambler, Henri was born near Cincinnati and grew up in the small town of Cozad, Nebraska, founded by his father, John Jackson Cozad. When Henri was 17, he and his family fled the area, after his father had shot a neighboring rancher in a dispute over pasturing cattle on his land. Although later cleared of wrongdoing, John Cozad and his family had moved on—first to Denver, then on to Atlantic City. Robert dropped his his last name of Cozad and went by Robert Henri.

Henri went on to become a well known artist and teacher, studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the École des Beaux Arts in France. He taught at the New York School of Art and the Art Students League. His book is a classic for all ar…