| Tom Cafferty | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Robert Henri |
| Year | 1924 |
| Medium | oil painting |
| Dimensions | 22 1/4 x 20 1/8 in. (56.5 x 51.1 cm) |
| Location | Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY |
| Accession | 1926.1 |
Tom Cafferty (1924) is an oil on canvas painting sized 22+1⁄4 in × 20+1⁄8 in (57 cm × 51 cm). It was painted by Robert Henri (1865-1929), an American realist painter. It is part of the Memorial Art Gallery collection at the University of Rochester, New York. [1]
Robert Henri (1865–1929) was born "Robert Henry Cozad" on June 24, 1865, in Ohio. He came from a family of French Huguenot descent. His ancestors emigrated from Normandy, France, to the Netherlands before finally settling in the United States. [2]
Tom Cafferty (1924) is an oil painting on canvas painted by Robert Henri during Henri’s second time on Achill Island, Ireland. Robert Henri(1865-1929) was an American portrait artist and a leader of the Ashcan School. [3] While on Achill Island, he formed close relationships with the local kids and was inspired by this experience. [4] Tom Cafferty was one of his Irish children portraits, which reflects the central artistic concept Henri had in his later years: he believed portraiture should capture the subject's real emotions and psychological state, rather than just reproduce their physical appearance at the same time, and the concept he regarded art as a process of self-exploration. [5]
Before Robert Henri created Tom Cafferty in 1924, he had a few disappointments in his life. In 1913, at the time of the Armory Show, although Henri participated, he found himself having significant philosophical differences with the core organizers (such as Arthur B. Davies). The main disagreement was that the organizer wanted the exhibition to be an international, forward-looking art show, but Robert thought it should feature realist works of the American spirit. Consequently, though Robert remained the spiritually recognized leader of the Independent Art movement on the surface, he found himself excluded and marginalized. His ideas were misunderstood, and he began to doubt himself. [6]
During the winter of 1916-1917, the Russian Revolution had just started, with World War 1 was looming. Herni stopped creating art. He contributed to the propaganda anthology The Book of Homeless, whose proceeds funded its sales to support civilians displacement by World War I. [7] Four days after the United States entered the war, Herni participated in an art exhibition titled "No Jury, No Prizes." Instead of openly criticizing the war or recording its scenes, Robert continued to emphasize individual expression and painting people in everyday life, and quietly expressing empathy for those who died in it. [8]
Robert Henri believes portraiture should capture the true emotional and psychological character of a subject, as opposed to a mere physical likeness. He believed that the soul of a person should be captured, and that an artist should dig beneath the surface of purely physical attributes in order to capture the true inner force that constitutes individuality. [9] Henri taught that the artist's real objective was to convey the sitter's emotional essence and sense of living presence, not just academic or technical accuracy, even though the composition's lines and forms could be simplified.
Henry further believes that the artistic creation is an act of self-discovery, which he insists can only yield genuine expression when artists uncover their own unique identities and learn to trust this individuality as a source of inspiration. He says art can be thought of as a process of personal liberation and social affirmation of human dignity. [9]
When Henri was in New York, that was during a period when Irish immigrants were stereotypically portrayed. This "negative Irish image" became entrenched through depictions in American comics, newspapers, books, and law. They were often described as poor, dirty, alcoholic, and prone to crime. Public events like street brawls and drunken attacks on police officers were often reported by newspapers, and they often generalized the entire Irish group based on the actions of individuals. Thus, the stereotype of the Irish was shaped by the media's exaggerated images. Those crude, violent illustrations laden with stereotypes also give many readers unfamiliar with Irish an imagined reality, creating visual images that become associated with the Irish. Irish immigrants were seen as socially isolated, disease carriers, and living in poor neighborhoods. The communication mechanisms, like comics, helped to reinforce the racial stereotype. They often portray the Irish as being stupid, violent, and vulgar through satire and humor to create this impression. [10] In addition to print media, the same stereotypical visual language has also been extended into the arts and has become a mainstream idea worldwide. Artists like Erskine Nicol influenced what people viewed as an image of "the Irish" during the nineteenth century. According to Anne Dochy, Nicol's drawings for Tales of Irish Life depicted country people as individuals who were nationalized into symbols, whose representation of them was both sympathetic and idealized. These works focused more on the idea of Irishness than on the individual’s experience. Nicol’s art romanticized the Irish peasantry and turned it into a sentimental symbol of national identity. [11] Tom Cafferty was entirely different. Robert Harrie emphasized that he didn't create idealized portraits of young country people or other romanticized nationalities. Instead, he focused on characters who were individuals with real freedom and autonomy. [12] This was perfectly in line with his long-standing artistic philosophy, which art shouldn't be limited by social class or nationality, but should instead aim to show the inner humanity of every person. Tom Cafferty is not an isolated case; his work emphasizes attention to and celebration of individual lives rather than collective ideals. [13] This artistic philosophy, consistently emphasized throughout his life, reflects his greater focus on the "meaning of a living life" rather than the "means of making a living". [14]