Vase of Flowers 1910

Henri Martin made this painting, Vase of Flowers, with oil on canvas. Look at the little strokes of paint, like individual thoughts, each placed deliberately to build up the whole image. It’s like Martin is thinking through the painting, one dab at a time. The physicality of the paint is really present. It's not about hiding the process here. You can see the thick texture, especially in the blues of the background and the highlights on the vase. The blues aren’t just blue, they’re mixed with purples and whites. There's a real sense of depth and vibration in the colour. Notice the way he’s rendered the flowers themselves: they are thick daubs of paint, the white and yellow clashing with the dark blues and greens of the vase. Martin's work shares a sensibility with painters like Bonnard, who were interested in the intimate and the everyday. Like them, Martin seemed interested in exploring how something as simple as a vase of flowers could be a starting point for endless visual and emotional discoveries. It reminds us that art is a journey, not a destination.