Jacques Martin (villeurbanne, 1844 - Lyon, 1919) - Still Life With Fruits

Jacques Martin (Villeurbanne, 1844 - Lyon, 1919)
Still life with fruit
oil on panel, 46.50 x 61.50 cm,
signed lower left.

The work depicts a composition of fruit, mainly oranges or clementines, placed on a decorative white ceramic dish with bluish motifs. The dish rests on a richly coloured tablecloth, decorated with shades of gold, red and green, evoking a sumptuous textile.
The clementines, with their generous rounded shapes, are topped with green leaves that give rhythm to the composition. The deep reddish-brown background is lightly textured, adding an intensity that highlights the illuminated fruit.
Jacques Martin's brushwork here is thick and expressive.

After studying at the Ecole Centrale in Lyon, Jacques Martin became manager of the Coignet factory, which specialised in the production of concrete. Around 1878, he took a self-taught interest 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 advice. By 1881, he was exhibiting his work in the Lyon and Paris salons.