Henri Martin (1860 - 1943) — The Man With The Sledgehammer, Circa 1920

The Man with a sledgehammer, circa 1920
Pencil on paper, stamp lower right.
70 x 47 cm

Study for one of the panels of the large decoration of the Council of State, The works on the Place de la Concorde.

Provenance:
Cyrille Martin Estate

Henri Martin: From academic tradition to colorful modernity

Henri Jean Guillaume Martin was born in Toulouse in the summer of 1860. His father was a cabinetmaker, but he was quickly drawn to the world of art. Thus, from 1877 and for two years, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse in the studio of the painter Jules Garipuy. Subsequently, a municipal scholarship allowed him to continue his apprenticeship in Paris under the watchful eye of his master Jean-Paul Laurens, painter and sculptor. In 1885, his trip to Italy marked a turning point in his life, reflected in his art in particular by a more poetic approach. Indeed, having left with the aim of studying primitives, the young artist began to distinguish himself technically: this geographical distance allowed Henri Martin to create a distance from his academic achievements and to stand out by developing his own style: short touches, bright and vivid colors, idealized scenes and a dreamlike atmosphere in particular. At the beginning of the 20th century, the painter put his art at the service of numerous public commissions, decorating buildings such as the Capitol of his hometown, the Sorbonne and the Élysée (1908) or the Council of State (1914-1922). Once installed in his studio in Labastide-du-Vert (Lot) he moved away from the symbolist themes of his beginnings, without however abandoning them, to move towards a style mixing fauvism and pointillism. Named Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1914, he was elected a full member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (painting section) in 1917. Henri Martin died in 1943 in Labastide-du-Vert, but remains a renowned artist whose universe, imbued with poetry, dreams, and mystery, is an invitation to travel, recalling his favorite writers: Baudelaire, of course, but also Verlaine, Poe, and Lord Byron. Today, the Cahors Henri-Martin Museum continues to honor the painter's work, permanently exhibiting more than fifty of his paintings.

Discover more of this artist's works on the gallery's website: https://www.galeriepentcheff.fr/fr/peintre-henri-martin#Bio