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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.
In the 1890s, Henri Martin regularly vacationed in southern France, where he would rent houses every summer. It was probably during one of these vacations that he painted this powerful rural scene, reminiscent of the work of Jean-François Millet, of a lone farmer sitting outside his home at the end of the day, after a day in the fields. The twilight hour is suggested by the muted hues of the painting, and the light emanating through the darkness from inside the house in the background.
Forty-three paintings by Henri Martin, including the present lot, were rediscovered in Rennes in 2012 in a house belonging to the heirs of the collector and magistrate Paul Riff, who died in 1929. They were sold at auction, and the quality of the Riff collection was reflected in sixteen works being acquired for the Museum of Cahors Henri Martin.
In the 1890s, Henri Martin regularly vacationed in southern France, where he would rent houses every summer. It was probably during one of these vacations that he painted this powerful rural scene, reminiscent of the work of Jean-François Millet, of a lone farmer sitting outside his home at the end of the day, after a day in the fields. The twilight hour is suggested by the muted hues of the painting, and the light emanating through the darkness from inside the house in the background.
Forty-three paintings by Henri Martin, including the present lot, were rediscovered in Rennes in 2012 in a house belonging to the heirs of the collector and magistrate Paul Riff, who died in 1929. They were sold at auction, and the quality of the Riff collection was reflected in sixteen works being acquired for the Museum of Cahors Henri Martin.