Framed:41 x 40 inches
artist
Born in Toulouse, France, Henri Martin known for his Neo-Impressionist landscape paintings. Beginning in 1877, at age seventeen, he began studying art at the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Toulouse under Jules Garipuy and Henry-Eugéne Delacroix, and later in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens. His first solo exhibition came at the age of twenty-six, three years after medaling for the first time at the Paris Salon. Martin would them move to Italy where he was heavily influenced by the Quattrocento painter Masaccio and the late middle ages architect Giotto. Italy’s landscape and architecture would ultimately influence Martin equally.
Martin won the gold medal at the Salon of 1898, the same year he entered the Legion of Honor The following year he won the Grand Prize at the World fair. Martin exhibited widely throughout his career, achieved the highest awards, and received numerous commissions. In 1895 he painted a mural for Paris’ City Hall and another for the Capitol in Toulouse about ten year later.
Martin later chose the seclusion of the country, purchasing a mansion overlooking the Labastide-du-Vert in France. Inspired by the environment surrounding the property his painting flourished producing some of his best work. Martin remined in the mansion until his death in 1943.
Description
This delicately painted and colored view is of the Le Vert River in the Lot Department as they call it of the Village of Labastide. It is lined by Poplar trees and it was a favorite time for Martin to capture it when the spring blossoms were out. In 1900 Martin had purchased a property in Labastide Du Vert, which is north of Cahors. His home was called Marquayrol and it was a turning point for Martin as he moved from symbolism and allegory in his work to a more naturalistic approach to painting nature. His focus was more toward capturing atmospheric effects, times of day, light and simply – color. He had moved away from heavier content and meaning and found a new kind of cerebral joy in the idyllic, and a purity of tranquility. This is clearly felt in this river scene.
What typifies this work over other similar examples is a very tight network of brushstrokes that are cohesively thought through. Within the river he has lengthened out his strokes and for the landscape and blossoms he is utilizing a more pointillist and or neo-impressionist short stroke. There is sunlight hitting the hilltop and warming it a beautiful hue of mauve which is the brilliant passage of this painting. Martin could us very saturated and bold color but in this piece he is determined to keep it gentle but beautiful. He is in our opinion one of the finest Post Impressionists technically.
provenance
Hôtel Drouot Paris, 16 December 1985
Richard Green, London (acquired from the above)
Collection of Bruce Dayton and Ruth Stricker Dayton*
Sotehby’s New York, 17 November 2021
literature
This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonne currently being prepared by Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin
