Le Pont du Labastide-du-Vert c. 1900 - 1905

Henri Martin’s landscape features a bridge over a river, probably painted en plein air. Look at the surface: it’s built up with all these tiny little touches and strokes of colour that are so precise. It’s almost like he’s weaving a tapestry with paint. I bet Martin was out there in the French countryside, squinting in the sunlight, trying to capture the shimmer of the water and the way the light filters through the leaves. I can imagine him mixing his colours on the spot, trying to get that perfect shade of green for the grass or that shimmering blue for the water. It reminds me of the work of other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters like Monet or Pissarro, who were also obsessed with capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. You can feel that same sense of wonder and awe in their paintings, as if they’re trying to hold onto a moment that’s slipping away. It’s beautiful how artists can talk to each other through time.