Henri Martin

Private Collection, France (acquired directly from the artist)
Thence by descent to the previous owner

Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, 19th Annual Exhibition at the Carnegie Institute, 1920, no. 205

Canvas is not lined. Canvas is buckling slightly near lower left corner. Under UV light: a few spots of inpainting at extreme upper right corner and a few dots and left and right edges. Otherwise fine, work is in very good condition.
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After searching for the ideal house for almost ten years, Martin finally acquired Marquayrol in 1900, a beautiful mansion overlooking Labastide-du-Vert, near Cahors, in southwest France. The house and the region became his main sources of inspiration and deeply influenced his style. It was here that the artist found the important southern light denied him in Paris which stimulated and fulfilled his artistic needs. Claude Juskiewenski has suggested that "this move to the Lot at the age of 40 marks a decisive turning point in his artistic output. Muses and lyres disappear from his canvases and he dares to confront daily the light of the south" (C. Juskiewenski, Henri Martin 1860-1943 (exhibition catalogue), Cahors & Toulouse, 1993, p. 98).

The present work is a superb example of Martin's signature style of broken brushwork suspended within a rigorously structured composition. As Martin's son and fellow artist, Jac Martin-Ferrières, noted "Henri Martin's] palette is enchanting. Many different combinations of colours are juxtaposed to create a rare and lush harmony... And it is much more difficult to achieve beautiful colour combinations when representing nature than to simply assemble some pretty colours while representing nothing. Herein lies the gift of the great Impressionists and that is why there are so few" (J. Martin-Ferrières, Henri Martin, Paris, 1967, p. 42).

The present work is a particularly fine example of Martin's mature style. The famous pergola, with its abundant foliage, provides the focus of the composition. The house is set high on the hill above the village of Labastide-du-Vert, situated here to the right. The rich colours in this painting betray all the intensity of the southern light that Martin so longed for in his work. Judging by the direction of the long shadows, and the color of the vegetation, this scene undoubtedly takes place on a summer afternoon.