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Lot Essay
Born in Toulouse, Henri Martin found that he missed the light of the south when he moved to Paris. He would dream of his ideal house where he could sit and paint, a house which he described as 'une vielle habitation avec un toit Louis XIII et des tonnelles sans terres ou presque. Donc une maison plutôt placée sur un hauteur, assez vaste... l'entourage immédiat de la maison avec un jardin ou parc et de grands alentours avec de paysages que je puisse peindre' (exh. cat. Henri Martin 1860-1943, Cahors, 1993, p. 98).
In 1900, at the age of 40, Martin purchased a large 17th Century house in the village of Labastide du Vert in the Lot in south-west France. Marquayrol became Martin's summer retreat and it was to here that he would retire from the city between the months of May and November, revelling in the beauty and serenity of nature that he lacked in Paris. The house was set on the side of a hill, with a large terrace overlooking the village and the surrounding valley. On either side of this terrace was an arbor, one small, la petite pergola and another larger one, la tonnelle, whose vines were trained to form verdant coverings that offered shade and shelter from the summer sun. In the present work, la tonnelle is depicted in fiery and deep autumnal colours, symbolising the end of summer and the family's imminent return to Paris. The intensely peaceful surroundings of Marquayrol were to become Martin's preferred subject matter and the property remained Martin's connection with nature and light for more than forty years, providing him with both his subject matter and his inspiration.
In 1900, at the age of 40, Martin purchased a large 17th Century house in the village of Labastide du Vert in the Lot in south-west France. Marquayrol became Martin's summer retreat and it was to here that he would retire from the city between the months of May and November, revelling in the beauty and serenity of nature that he lacked in Paris. The house was set on the side of a hill, with a large terrace overlooking the village and the surrounding valley. On either side of this terrace was an arbor, one small, la petite pergola and another larger one, la tonnelle, whose vines were trained to form verdant coverings that offered shade and shelter from the summer sun. In the present work, la tonnelle is depicted in fiery and deep autumnal colours, symbolising the end of summer and the family's imminent return to Paris. The intensely peaceful surroundings of Marquayrol were to become Martin's preferred subject matter and the property remained Martin's connection with nature and light for more than forty years, providing him with both his subject matter and his inspiration.