Jacques Martin Ferrières (1893–1972) - Quetzalcoatl 2

Jacques Martin-Ferrières: A Life of Painting, Travel, and Light

The fourth son of painter Henri Martin, Jacques Martin-Ferrières received early training under his father’s guidance. He devoted himself entirely to his passion for painting after studying chemistry, which—having introduced him to the demands of pigments—enabled him to prepare his own colors.

He began with interior scenes and portraits of women, already set against the backdrop of vast landscapes rendered with expressive brushstrokes. Curious about everything and a musician—highly skilled on the cello and piano—he enjoyed frequenting theaters and concerts, where he sketched face after face with a firm and playful pencil. His first exhibitions at the Salon (1920, 1923) were a success. In 1924, he received a scholarship there that opened the door to the traditional trip to Italy: he then painted Venice, Florence, Rome, and Assisi. He developed a taste for travel and would henceforth spend his time crisscrossing Europe —Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland—spending his summers traveling, brush in hand whenever a subject caught his eye, and his winters in his studio, drawing on his travel experiences to enrich his work. Flowers also often caught the eye of this master of color—whether those in the garden, planted with future compositions in mind, or bouquets picked for the studio. In 1928, he undertook the decoration of the Church of St. Christophe de Javel in Paris. The success of this project brought him further commissions in Saint-Ouen, Romans-sur-Isère, Montauban, and Saint-Louis in Marseille.

The war put a halt to this magnificent momentum. Jacques, as a result of the brutalities he endured during the war, gradually lost the use of one eye: the painter would not reappear until 1956, but the days of the large-scale compositions in which his vitality, his talent, and his warm yet always slightly mocking gaze had been so beautifully expressed were over. He did, however, begin traveling again, particularly to the United States, where he would exhibit regularly. He would paint until his death; he would exhibit until his death. 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