Jaune Palace in Venice 

Henri Martin painted 'Jaune Palace in Venice' using oil on canvas, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century. The technique is pointillism. Notice the myriad tiny dots of paint, each carefully placed, that build up the image. This wasn't just a visual style, but a deliberate, laborious process. It speaks to the artistic movements of the time, which were very interested in how light worked. But also perhaps of labor, the sheer amount of work that went into the production. Martin’s choice of this method isn’t arbitrary. The pointillist technique itself mirrors the mosaic traditions of Venice. The way the color vibrates across the surface evokes the shimmering quality of light on water. This connects Martin’s approach to both Venetian craft traditions and contemporary optical science. Ultimately, appreciating Martin's work means seeing it not just as a pretty picture, but as a complex layering of material, technique, and social context. It challenges us to consider the labor, skill, and cultural history embedded in every brushstroke.