Betalo Rubino, Dramatic Dancer

Confident brushstrokes and bold color, as seen here, are hallmarks of Robert Henri’s best work. One reviewer commented, “one is struck immediately with the strength of the artist’s color, and if one may say it, the daring of it.”

Henri was captivating as a teacher and a painter. He advocated his students search for subjects in the city streets, which were teeming with the vitality of working class and immigrant crowds. Henri lectured, “What we need is an art that expresses the spirit of the people of today.” The flamboyant persona of Betalo Rubino, a Spanish dancer living in New York City, was a perfect fit for Henri’s dramatic palette.