Having always been drawn to poetic subjects, in 1889 Martin started to treat his subjects in a Neo-Impressionist manner – that is applying short feathery brushstrokes of fragmented colour. Aside from the occasional experiment, he was never drawn to the analytical, scientific type divisionism where the juxtaposition of strokes of pure colour could be made to dance on the retina and create new hues; meanwhile his handling of paint lacked the coldly systematic execution of orthodox divisionism. Martin had adopted the pointillist manner from Ernest Laurent and the Italian master, Segantini. But instead of using it to capture fleeting light effects, it imparted a shimmering, ethereal light to his lyrical subjects. Between 1889-1900 Martin produced a highly original series of paintings that saw him hailed by Puvis de Chavannes as his heir and successor (“celui-la sera mon héritier, il me continuera”).
Henri Martin was born August 5, 1860 in Toulouse. His early works were devoted to poetic and allegorical themes reflecting his training at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse. After winning the Grand Prix he moved to Paris in 1879 to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Paul Laurens. Martin exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris from 1880, winning a medal at the 1883 Salon. A visit to Italy in 1885 brought a new lyrical freedom to his work. Upon Martin’s return to Paris in 1889, he began experimenting with pointillism and turned almost exclusively to landscape painting.