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Lot Essay
Cyrille Martin has confirmed the authenticity of this work. Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin will include this work in her forthcoming Henri Martin catalogue raisonné.
Painstakingly composed with small touches of brilliant colour, Couture sous la grande pergola illustrates Henri Martin's mastery of Neo-Impressionist technique, as well as his penchant for classical motifs. Depicting an outdoor scene, this work captures the vibrant effect of sunlight coming through the foliage of a pergola in subtle variations of perfectly harmonised tones. Decomposing the spectrum of light into small brushstrokes of pure colour, Couture sous la grande pergola shows Martin's ability as a colourist, as well as a Neo-Impressionist painter.
In its composition, Couture sous la grande pergola translates the classical values of symmetry, order and structure. The symmetrical, receding rows of columns in the background are counterbalanced by the two sinuous silhouettes of the women sewing in the foreground. The presence of strong vertical lines lends the image strength and rhythm, enhancing the decorative undertones of the subject. In its rigour, the work exemplifies how Martin was able to depict the life of his time in classical terms, while the technique - modern, fragmented and vibrant - adds a fleeting sense of beauty and a delicate harmony to the picture.
Although embracing an avant-garde approach to painting, Martin successfully exhibited throughout his life at the Salon, debuting as early as 1880 and receiving a prize in 1883. In his work, he succeeded in marrying modern technique and classical subject-matter. The brilliance of his colours, the assurance of his compositions and the Symbolist undertones of his earlier work made the publicly celebrated artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes declare: 'This one will be my heir, he will be my successor' (quoted in De Seurat à Paul Klee, Le néo-impressionnisme, exh. cat., Paris, 2005, p. 413). In the 1900s, the harmony of his colours and the decorative qualities of his compositions gained Martin several prestigious public commissions, namely the murals for the newly built Hôtel de Ville in Paris and the Capitole in Toulouse, the artist's native town. At his retreat at Labastide-du-Vert, however, Martin continued to explore landscape painting and genre scenes, applying the decorative strength of his public commissions to more private works, such as Couture sous la grande pergola.
Painstakingly composed with small touches of brilliant colour, Couture sous la grande pergola illustrates Henri Martin's mastery of Neo-Impressionist technique, as well as his penchant for classical motifs. Depicting an outdoor scene, this work captures the vibrant effect of sunlight coming through the foliage of a pergola in subtle variations of perfectly harmonised tones. Decomposing the spectrum of light into small brushstrokes of pure colour, Couture sous la grande pergola shows Martin's ability as a colourist, as well as a Neo-Impressionist painter.
In its composition, Couture sous la grande pergola translates the classical values of symmetry, order and structure. The symmetrical, receding rows of columns in the background are counterbalanced by the two sinuous silhouettes of the women sewing in the foreground. The presence of strong vertical lines lends the image strength and rhythm, enhancing the decorative undertones of the subject. In its rigour, the work exemplifies how Martin was able to depict the life of his time in classical terms, while the technique - modern, fragmented and vibrant - adds a fleeting sense of beauty and a delicate harmony to the picture.
Although embracing an avant-garde approach to painting, Martin successfully exhibited throughout his life at the Salon, debuting as early as 1880 and receiving a prize in 1883. In his work, he succeeded in marrying modern technique and classical subject-matter. The brilliance of his colours, the assurance of his compositions and the Symbolist undertones of his earlier work made the publicly celebrated artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes declare: 'This one will be my heir, he will be my successor' (quoted in De Seurat à Paul Klee, Le néo-impressionnisme, exh. cat., Paris, 2005, p. 413). In the 1900s, the harmony of his colours and the decorative qualities of his compositions gained Martin several prestigious public commissions, namely the murals for the newly built Hôtel de Ville in Paris and the Capitole in Toulouse, the artist's native town. At his retreat at Labastide-du-Vert, however, Martin continued to explore landscape painting and genre scenes, applying the decorative strength of his public commissions to more private works, such as Couture sous la grande pergola.