View of the Terrasse de Marquayrol, Labastide du Vert 1935

Henri Martin created this oil on canvas view of the Terrasse de Marquayrol in Labastide du Vert. Here, the village nestled within the landscape speaks to a timeless symbiosis between humanity and nature. Note the smoke rising from the chimneys. Smoke, a symbol of domesticity and human presence, curls upwards like offerings to the heavens. It evokes the hearth, the center of home and community. Consider how smoke has been portrayed across time. From ancient sacrificial altars to industrial landscapes, smoke signals transformation, energy, and even destruction. Here, in Martin's tranquil scene, it conveys a sense of continuity and comfort. The scene pulls us into the cyclical rhythms of life, of home and hearth. The village, embraced by the landscape, suggests a deep, almost subconscious connection to our ancestral past, a reminder of our shared origins in nature.