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Lot Essay
This work is sold with a certificate from Cyrille Martin.
Born in Toulouse, Henri Martin found that he missed the light of the South when he moved to Paris. He would dream of his ideal house where he could sit and paint, a house which he described as 'une vielle habitation avec un toit Louis XIII et des tonnelles sans terres ou presque. Donc une maison plutôt placée sur un hauteur, assez vaste... l'entourage immédiat de la maison avec un jardin ou parc et de grands alentours avec de paysages que je puisse peindre' (quoted in exh. cat. Henri Martin 1860-1943, Cahors, 1993, p. 98).
In 1900, at the age of 40, Martin finally realised his dream when he purchased a large 17th century house in the village of Labastide-du-Vert in the Lot in south-west France. Marquayrol became Martin's summer retreat, and it was to here that he would retire from the city between the months of May and November, revelling in the beauty and serenity of nature that he lacked in Paris. The house was set on the side of a hill, with a large terrace overlooking the village and the surrounding valley. The intensely peaceful surroundings of Marquayrol were to become Martin's preferred subject matter; as well as the landscape around the property, he depicted every single detail of the house and gardens - the round pool, the terrace, the pergola, the vineyard, the gate and even his pots of geraniums became recurring themes in his work. Marquayrol remained Martin's connection with nature and light for more than forty years, providing him with both his subject matter and his inspiration.
Born in Toulouse, Henri Martin found that he missed the light of the South when he moved to Paris. He would dream of his ideal house where he could sit and paint, a house which he described as 'une vielle habitation avec un toit Louis XIII et des tonnelles sans terres ou presque. Donc une maison plutôt placée sur un hauteur, assez vaste... l'entourage immédiat de la maison avec un jardin ou parc et de grands alentours avec de paysages que je puisse peindre' (quoted in exh. cat. Henri Martin 1860-1943, Cahors, 1993, p. 98).
In 1900, at the age of 40, Martin finally realised his dream when he purchased a large 17th century house in the village of Labastide-du-Vert in the Lot in south-west France. Marquayrol became Martin's summer retreat, and it was to here that he would retire from the city between the months of May and November, revelling in the beauty and serenity of nature that he lacked in Paris. The house was set on the side of a hill, with a large terrace overlooking the village and the surrounding valley. The intensely peaceful surroundings of Marquayrol were to become Martin's preferred subject matter; as well as the landscape around the property, he depicted every single detail of the house and gardens - the round pool, the terrace, the pergola, the vineyard, the gate and even his pots of geraniums became recurring themes in his work. Marquayrol remained Martin's connection with nature and light for more than forty years, providing him with both his subject matter and his inspiration.