Canal in Venice

A pupil of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, under the then highly celebrated history painter Jean-Paul Laurens, Henri Martin (1860-1943) initially painted in the style of the great Venetian masters. He received a scholarship to Italy and there discovered the serenity and the bright colour palette of Giotto's landscapes. After meeting Giovanni Segantini, Martin began to use his vibrant…

A pupil of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, under the then highly celebrated history painter Jean-Paul Laurens, Henri Martin (1860-1943) initially painted in the style of the great Venetian masters. He received a scholarship to Italy and there discovered the serenity and the bright colour palette of Giotto's landscapes. After meeting Giovanni Segantini, Martin began to use his vibrant stroke technique for a time. Around 1889, he also experimented with the pointillism of Georges Seurat. His mystical nature finally led him to symbolism. He exhibited eight canvases at the first exhibition of the symbolist society La Rose+Croix. Martin was also a much sought-after muralist, decorating several public buildings in Paris and his native Toulouse.