Labastide du Vert 

Henri Martin created this landscape, Labastide du Vert, using oil on canvas. It depicts a stone house nestled amidst trees and a vineyard, rendered in a pointillist style. Born in Toulouse, France, Martin trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a central institution in shaping artistic careers. France in this era saw a division between academic tradition and avant-garde experimentation. Martin synthesizes elements of both. The subject matter is that of traditional rural life, but his technique utilizes the broken color and light effects associated with impressionism and pointillism, artistic movements that questioned the conservative academic style. We see a common theme of the late 19th and early 20th century in the context of rapid industrialization and urbanization: a nostalgia for the countryside. What’s interesting here is how this yearning for a more ‘authentic’ way of life can be expressed through cutting-edge techniques. Historical sources like exhibition reviews, artists' letters, and institutional records can further illuminate the complex interplay between artistic innovation and social context in Martin's work.