The Old House in the Last Rays 

Henri Martin painted "The Old House in the Last Rays" at an unknown date, using divisionist brushstrokes to capture the light on a weathered building. Martin's choice of subject matter, an old house in the countryside, reflects a broader trend in late 19th and early 20th century French art, away from the city and towards rural life, partly as a reaction to increasing industrialization and urbanization. The figure in the foreground, rendered with indistinct features, is a reminder of the depopulation of the French countryside. Martin came from a working class background, and he initially trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, an institution that played a central role in shaping artistic tastes and styles in France. His movement away from the city could be seen as a critique of the academic art world and its focus on historical and mythological subjects. By studying the archives of the École des Beaux-Arts and the social history of rural France, we can gain a deeper understanding of Martin's artistic choices and their connection to the social and cultural context in which he lived and worked.