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 Albert Belleroche and Robert Henri These two portraits express the degree to which Paris dominated the avant-garde art scene in the late 19th century. The city was an artistic beacon attracting students from many countries who pursued training in both the official and informal academies and studios of the French capital. Albert Belleroche had moved to Paris from Britain with his family in 1871. He entered the studio of famed portraitist Carolus-Duran in 1882, and, after only a few months, left to enter into the social and collegial world of the avant garde. Likewise, Robert Henri worked in Paris in the late 1880s, studying officially at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts as well as at the alternative Académie Julian.
Click on an image to see a larger version.
Belleroche's portrait of Julie, on your left, bears many of the characteristics of post-impressionist painting. The
free application of paint imparts an immediacy and spontaneity. The informality of the pose and the cool,
near-monochromatic palette heighten the sense of intimacy of the portrait.
Henri's portrait clearly pays homage to the lessons of post-impressionism that formed his vocabulary as an artist
during his studies in Paris, particularly in its expressive power of color. It also connects with the color and
light of the California plein-air painters with whom he worked. The painting is dedicated to Henri's friend and
student, San Diego artist Alice Klauber. The portrait is a souvenir of the summer of 1914, when Henri was invited by
Klauber to teach a summer class in La Jolla.
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