Jacques Martin Ferrières (1893 - 1972) — The Hexagonal Basin In The Neuilly Garden

The hexagonal basin in the Neuilly garden, rose garden in bloom
Oil on canvas, signed lower right.
65 x 81 cm.

Jacques Martin-Ferrières: A life of painting, travel, and light

The fourth son of the painter Henri Martin, Jacques Martin-Ferrières received an excellent early education under his father's tutelage. He devoted himself entirely to his passion for painting after studying chemistry, which, by introducing him to the demands of pigments, allowed him to prepare his own colors. He began with interior decorations and female portraits, already set against vast landscapes with expressive features. Curious about everything, and a musician—of excellent skill on the cello and piano—he enjoyed attending theaters and concerts where he sketched face after face with a firm and playful hand. His first exhibitions at the Salon (1920, 1923) were a success. In 1924, he received a grant that opened the doors to his traditional trip to Italy: he painted Venice, Florence, Rome, and Assisi. He developed a taste for travel and would henceforth live crisscrossing Europe—Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland—spending his summers traveling, brush in hand, whenever a subject caught his eye, and his winters in his studio, enriching his work with the experiences of his travels. Flowers also frequently captured the attention of this colorist, whether those in the garden, planted for future compositions, or bouquets picked for his studio. In 1928, he undertook the decoration of the Church of St. Christopher in Javel, Paris. The success of this project brought him other commissions in St. Ouen, Romans-sur-Isère, Montauban, and St. Louis in Marseille. The war brought this magnificent momentum to a halt. Jacques, as a result of the brutality he suffered, gradually lost the use of one eye. The painter did not reappear until 1956, but by then the grand compositions in which his vitality, talent, and warm, yet always slightly mocking gaze had been so beautifully expressed were gone. He did, however, begin to travel again, notably to the United States where he exhibited regularly. Until his death, he painted, until his death, he exhibited. Martin-Ferrières' landscapes and flowers keep us company today with as much life, warmth, and color as if he were about to walk into the room. By Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin.

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