Henri Martin

M. Pasquicz (acquired directly from the artist in October 1913; sale: Beaussant Lefèvre, Paris, 23rd November 2005, lot 115)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale; sale: Sotheby's, London, 6th February 2008, lot 447)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

The canvas is not lined. There is a very milky varnish which prevents UV light from fully penetrating. However UV light does suggest some old retouchings at the corners and possibly some further retouchings along the right edge, which are largely masked by the thick varnish. The varnish has discoloured and the surface appears to be quite dirty. This work would benefit from a clean, but appears to be in overall good condition.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In his later years Henri Martin spent the summer months at his country retreat in Labastide-du-Vert, in Marquayrol, where he worked enchanted by the beauty of his surroundings. Marquayrol, a large seventeenth-century house overlooking the rolling thirty-acre property, would become not only Martin’s summer home but also the backdrop for his profound artistic revelation. The pergolas, or arbors, at the end of the garden proved a particular source of inspiration as the colours of the creeping vines changed through the seasons. 'The arbors were the subject of numerous paintings. Much like Monet in his Japanese paintings, Martin showed them in different seasons and at different times of the day' (Eden Close at Hand, The Paintings of Henri Martin, 1860-1943 (exhibition catalogue), Anderson Galleries, 2005, p. 56).

In the present work Martin is experimenting with the application of paint as much as with colour; the swirls of brushstroke to the centre right are a strong indication of the artist's exploration of his art at Marquayrol. The figure and goat prove a wonderful centrepiece to the scene and epitomise the tranquility of his rural idyll.