Etude Pour ‘les Faucheurs’ Or Bastide Du Vert 1903

Henri Martin made this study for ‘Les Faucheurs’, or ‘The Mowers’, using the traditional materials of oil on canvas. What’s striking is the way he applies the paint, with a Pointillist technique of small, distinct dots. This manner of production affects the painting’s appearance; the granular surface gives the composition an active, shimmering quality. Martin was part of a generation interested in rural labor, though his depiction is less about documenting agricultural work than evoking its feeling. We see laborers in the fields, rendered with great attention to the fall of light across the landscape. There’s a definite tension here: on the one hand, the painting celebrates the dignity of labor; on the other, the careful application of paint abstracts it, aestheticizing the scene. It’s a reminder that even in art that seems far removed from social issues, the means of production—in this case, the skilled application of paint—can reveal much about the artist’s perspective.