Jacques MARTIN (1844 -1919) - Still life with fruits

The work depicts a composition of fruits, mainly oranges or clementines, placed on a decorative white ceramic dish with bluish motifs. The dish rests on a richly coloured tablecloth, adorned with shades of gold, red and green, which evoke a sumptuous textile material.
The clementines, with their rounded and generous shapes, are topped with green leaves that punctuate the composition. The deep reddish-brown background of the canvas is slightly textured and brings an intensity that highlights the illuminated fruits.
Here, Jacques Martin's touch is thick and expressive.
After studying at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Jacques Martin became director of the Coignet factory, which specialized in the production of concrete. Around 1878, he became self-taught in painting and set up a studio on the premises of his factory. The Lyon painter François Vernay (1821-1896) encouraged him and gave him his advice. Thus, from 1881, he presented his work in the salons of Lyon and Paris.