Labastide-du-Vert, 1916

In 1900 Martin’s career moved into the phase for which he is now justly renowned. He purchased ‘Marquayrol’ in Labastide-du-Vert in Lot where he lived and painted for the rest of his long life. Marquayrol, an old farmhouse with a beautiful garden and extensive views provided much of his subject matter over the years to come.

It is one of these views that Martin has depicted in this work. The idyllic and picturesque nature of this painting conveys Martin’s clear adoration of the area. The grass and trees are dappled in warm greens and yellows, with the spotting of sunlight through the trees emphasised by his brushwork. The individualised dabs of paint are a clear hommage to the neo-impressionist technique of pontilism, a style in which Martin was not only renowned for, but also won a gold award at the 1889 Salon for.