Bob Henry and his art have succeeded impact upon the world of American painting and education for more than seventy years.
A former student of the Hans Hofmann School of Art, Henry’s approach to painting harmonizes discipline, spontaneity, and the rigor of composition.
His work has been shown in over 100 exhibitions, and he has earned several Lifetime Achievement Awards from institutions like the Provincetown Art Association and Museum and the Cape Cod Foundation for the Arts. He was also named Muse Artist of the Year by the Cape Cod Museum of Art.
More than accolades, it’s the journey that defines Bob Henry and his art. Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Henry left behind a promising academic path in chemical engineering to pursue the call of the canvas. From those early days, his focus was never the fame, but it was the process that enticed him. His long teaching career includes positions at Brooklyn College and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. His emphasis on visual thinking, composition, and experimentation has helped shape generations of artists.
What Is His Book About?
In For Artists and Art Lovers: A Handbook, Robert Henry author of this reflective volume, proffers insights grounded in a working life of painting and teaching. The book is not your typical manual that merely delivers instructions. Rather, it’s a series of meditations written originally as Facebook posts, that reveal how an artist sees, thinks, and responds to the blank canvas.
He states: “Rather than asking what a painting means, I ask, ‘Does it resonate?’”
Each entry can be read on its own, making the book accessible to both practicing artists and those who simply appreciate visual art.
Undeniably, Henry offers guidance on composition, perception, and technique, while entangling in personal stories from his time with Hans Hofmann and other influential artists. He doesn’t just apprise readers how to paint, he also shows them how to think like a painter.
Henry’s philosophy is simple but not simplistic. “Painting is not problem solving,” he writes. “It is a process of searching.” And in that search, readers find the artist’s true voice in the way he moves paint, composes space, and allows accidents to lead the way.
Bob Henry and HIs Art: What Message Can We Get From Him?
Photo from Bob Henry’s Portfolio
The depth of For Artists and Art Lovers goes deeper. At the crux of it, is Henry’s belief that art is a way of knowing. Not in a logical, linear sense, but through experience, experimentation, and attention.
One of the clearest messages from Bob Henry and his art is this: you don’t need to follow someone else’s formula. You just need to show up, be present, and pay attention.
“A painting can be made up of a series of arbitrary decisions that in the end must seem inevitable.”
This powerful approach permits readers to let go of perfection and instead pursue meaning. Romanticizing artmaking was not Henry’s move. He acknowledges false starts, awkward lines, and unresolved compositions. Yet he insists that these moments matter just as much as finished work. They’re all part of what he calls the “search for the real.”
Another message is about humility and letting go of ego. Henry reminds readers that while skill is useful, it’s not the point. “In my early paintings, I was anxious to demonstrate my skill. As I matured, this show of skill became less important.”
His advice to artists is not to cling to their first idea, but to let the painting lead. Sometimes that means erasing. Sometimes it means changing direction completely. That flexibility, he argues, is where true creativity lives. This idea also applies to the viewer. Henry notes that a painting’s meaning doesn’t come solely from the artist.
“The meaning… is not in the actual painting alone, but in its re-creation in the eyes and mind of the viewer.”
He lures us to trust our own perceptions, to see what we see, and to let that be enough.
For Artists and Art Lovers: A Handbook
Photo from Amazon
You want something that goes beyond the brush? Bob Henry and his art offer something deep and thought-provoking. There are no shortcuts, no magic formulas. But there is wisdom.
Henry’s teaching rejects the standard academic model. What he does fixates on is dissecting color theory or promoting design templates. He focuses on how to compose and how to respond to the painting as it develops.
He says: “The artist is, essentially, composing from beginning to end.”
He encourages the use of unusual tools, such plastic wrap, knives, cloth, to explore textures and new forms.
And, he respects accidents and even respects indecision. More than anything, For Artists and Art Lovers is one that ignites in us that making art is a human act. Through his masterwork, we can open ourselves up to his promise that the process will matter.
As Henry explains: “To a great extent, the subject of a work of art is the artist.”
In the act of painting, he says, it is where we come to know ourselves… the flaws, instincts, tensions, and all. And through looking, we meet the artist in return.
To explore more of Bob Henry and his art, visit his official site: bobhenryarts.com. You can also see examples of Hans Hofmann’s legacy, which shaped much of Henry’s teaching, through this MoMA feature on abstract expressionism.
Grab a copy of For Artists and Art Lovers: A Handbook by Bob Henry today, and as you turn its pages, you’re entering the room with him, brush in hand.
