Henri Martin (1860 - 1943) — Nannies Sewing

Nannies Sewing
Charcoal on paper
39.5 x 33 cm.

Study for panel no. 1 of the decoration for the town hall of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, 1935

Provenance:
Artist's studio
Estate of Cyrille Martin
Private collection, Paris

Certificate of inclusion in the Catalogue Raisonné of Henri Martin currently being prepared by Mrs. Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin.

Henri Martin: From Academic Tradition to Colorful Modernity

Henri Jean Guillaume Martin was born in Toulouse in the summer of 1860. The son of a cabinetmaker, 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 enabled him to continue his studies in Paris under the tutelage of his master, Jean-Paul Laurens, a painter and sculptor. In 1885, his trip to Italy marked a turning point in his life, reflected in his art, notably through a more poetic approach. Having set out to study the early Renaissance masters, the young artist began to distinguish himself technically: this geographical distance allowed Henri Martin to create a distance from his academic training and to differentiate himself by developing his own style: short brushstrokes, bright and luminous colors, idealized scenes, and a dreamlike atmosphere. At the beginning of the 20th century, the painter dedicated his art to numerous public commissions, adorning buildings such as the Capitole in his hometown, the Sorbonne and the Élysée Palace (1908), and the Council of State (1914-1922). Once settled in his studio in Labastide-du-Vert (Lot), he moved away from the symbolist themes of his early work, without abandoning them entirely, towards a style blending Fauvism and Pointillism. Appointed Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1914, he was elected a full member of the Academy of Fine Arts (painting section) in 1917. Having died in 1943 in Labastide-du-Vert, Henri Martin remains a renowned artist whose world, imbued with poetry, dreams, and mystery, is an invitation to travel, reminiscent of his favorite writers: Baudelaire, of course, but also Verlaine, Poe, and Lord Byron. Today, the Henri-Martin Museum in Cahors continues to honor the painter's work, permanently exhibiting more than fifty of his canvases.

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