Henri Jean Guillaume Martin (1860-1943)
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Henri Martin was a Post-Impressionist painter, born Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin in Toulouse, France. He began his formal artistic training at the age of 17 at the Toulouse School of Fine Arts where he studied under Eugene Delacroix and Jules Garipuy. Martin obtained a scholarship and moved to Paris in 1879 where he continued his studies with the artist Jean-Paul Laurens.
Martin won a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1883, and was again awarded a scholarship which would take him to Italy. Here he was influenced by the work of past Venetian painters such as Giotto and Masaccio, and studied and admired their use of light.
He held his first exhibition in 1886, and was awarded with a medal again in 1889, this time for a Pointillist composition. He studied the work of the Divisionists, and even though he did not completely dedicate himself to their principles, many of his paintings are influence by or are wholly Pointillist pieces. Martin continued to win prizes for his art throughout his career, and won the grand prize at the 1900 World Fair. After winning this award he met and became friends with the sculptor Rodin.
In 1900, Martin’s reclusive ways led him out of Paris, and that same year he purchased “Marquayrol,” an old farmhouse where he would live out the rest of his life. Some critics have said that he created his best work during his tranquil years at Maryquayrol. Martin would visit his hometown of Toulouse, often painting the architecture and scenery and capturing the timelessness of the stone buildings, forests and surrounding ancient bridges.
Though he was a Post-Impressionist by definition, some critics have also grouped him with the Symbolists. During his career, Martin was often commissioned by the government to create murals and to decorate public buildings. While he is best known for his Impressionistic paintings, Martin was a fairly prolific and experimental painter, and his style was varied at times as a result. Though he is considerably less-known today than his contemporaries, during his lifetime Martin found great success as a painter and his pieces are still coveted in the art world.
Today, Martin’s work is housed all over France, and perhaps in your own home. Still wondering about a French Impressionist painting hanging in your home? Contact us…it could be by Henri Martin.