Robert Henri
(American,
1865–1929)
El Picador (Antonio Baños Calero)
Date:
1908
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Object Dimensions:
87 1/2 x 37 1/2 in. (222.25 x 95.25 cm)
Credit Line:
Museum Purchase, 1970.006
Photo Credit:
Richard Nicol
Verbal Description:
This is a slightly larger-than-life, full-body realistically painted portrait of a bullfighter in a dark studio space. He is dressed in walnut-colored boots, sienna-colored, cropped pants and jacket with black stripes running down the sleeves and buttons down the legs. A bright red tie and cummerbund stand out against a stark white shirt. His tan fedora has a red feather and a thick black strap that wraps around his head, just below his lips. He stands in a three-quarter view, with his body open to the left side of the canvas, his left foot is stepped back, and his heel is slightly raised. His left arm rests naturally on their thigh, the other arm is bent at a right angle, grasping some sort of thin, beige pole that lays on his shoulder at about a 45-degree incline and spans the width of the composition. The figure has olive-colored skin and dark hair. His thick eyebrows are a prominent feature, with his left eyebrow is raised giving him a little attitude in an otherwise stoic expression.