Updated 13 May 2025
Currently not on display
Currently not on display
Fountain and Flowers
| Materials and Techniques | oil on canvas |
|---|---|
| Size（cm） | 82 x 130.5 |
| Inscriptions | Signed lower left: Henri Martin. |
| Credit Line | Matsukata Collection |
| Standard ref. | M713 |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1959-0127 |
Like the works of Aman-Jean and Laurent, Martin's paintings never lost their Neo-impressionist roots and by his late period, Martin used a stronger, brighter palette that reveled in a brightness akin to the Fauves. This strong palette was the result of the harsh sunlight of his native Languedoc region and this work shows Martin's efforts in the new century. Puvis de Chavannes called Martin "my successor" in the 1890s, when Martin was engaged in the decoration of the Paris City Hall. During this period, he repeatedly depicted artists visited by the Muse and other such symbolist subjects. It is difficult, however, to imagine his symbolist images in this light-filled garden scene. We can glimpse a sense of the academic in his orderly depiction of forms. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 100)
Provenance
Purchased by Kojiro Matsukata, Kobe through Léonce Bénédite, ca. November 1918, as “Bassin entouré de fleurs” (Fr. 10,000) [see letter from Léonce Bénédite to Suzuki & Co., dated 14 November 1918, in the Bibliothèque centrale des musées nationaux, Paris (copy in NMWA curatorial file)]; sequestered by French government, 1944; vested in French government under San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1952; transferred from French to Japanese government, 23 January 1959; entered into NMWA, April 1959.
Exhibition History
- 1985
- Exposition du Pointillisme (Pointillism), National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 6 April 1985 - 26 May 1985, Musée Municipal d'Art, Kyoto, 4 June - 14 July, cat. no. 29, col. repr.
- 1987
- Saito Toyosaku to Nihon no Tenbyo, The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, 8 August 1987 - 30 September 1987, cat. no. 49, repr.
- 2020
- Kobayashi Mango and Western-style Painting in 50 Years of the Meiji, Taisho and Showa Eras, The Kagawa Museum, 11 April 2020 - 7 June 2020, Kurume City Art Museum, 20 June-23 August; Takahashi City Nariwa Museum, 5 September-29 November, 2020, no. 67, col. repr.
- 2023
- Yasuoka Nobuyoshi 1888-1933: Kindai Yoga no Reimeiki o Ikita Gaka, Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art, 11 February 2023 - 21 March 2023, cat. no. C4-45, col. repr.
Bibliography
- 1961
- Catalogue du Musée National d'Art Occidental, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1961 (Préface and Catalogue Général in Japanese and French), P-182.
- 1971
- Les cent chefs-d'œuvre du Musée National d'Art Occidental. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1971 (Japanese), no. 43, repr.
- 1975
- Les cent chefs-d'œuvre du Musée National d'Art Occidental. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1975 (Japanese), no. 65, repr.
- 1978
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1978 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 70, repr.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of Paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 164, repr.
- 1985
- Exposition du pointillisme (exh. cat.). The National Museum of Western Art, ed. [Tokyo], The Asahi Shimbun, 1985, pp. 54-55, cat. no. 29, col. repr.
- 1987
- Saito Toyosaku to Nihon no Tenbyo (exh. cat.). The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, ed. [Urawa], The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, 1987, p. 55, cat. no. 49, repr.
- 1990
- The Old Matsukata Collection. Kobe City Museum, ed. Kobe, "Matsukata Korekushon Ten" Jikkoiinkai, 1990, cat. no. 1002.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 100, col. repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 100, col. repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 113, col. repr.
- 2018
- The Matsukata Collection: Complete Catalogue of the European Art. Kawaguchi, Masako; Jingaoka, Megumi, eds. vol. 1: Paintings, Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2018, cat. no. 713, col. repr.
- 2020
- Kobayashi Mango and Western-style Painting in 50 Years of the Meiji, Taisho and Showa Eras (exh. cat.). The Kagawa Museum; Kurume City Art Museum; Takahashi City Nariwa Museum of Art, eds. [n.p. no place], Nichido Art Foundation, 2020, pp. 77, 157, cat. no. 67, col. repr.
- 2023
- Yasuoka Nobuyoshi 1888-1933: Kindai Yoga no Reimeiki o Ikita Gaka (exh.cat.). Tomooka, Maho. Tottori, Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art. 2023, pp. 113, 165, cat. no. C4-45, col. repr.