Nicolas MARTIN
Artiste peintre
Impressionism : An Eminently Contemporary Art
I’ve always seen impressionism as organic painting that doesn’t freeze the surrounding world but offers to perceive its own vibrance. It’s a misapprehension. The glory of this kind of painting has made impressionism much too "impressive " to dare handle in these times. Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh always claimed the simplicity of their intentions by searching and creating while refusing in the meanwhile any elitist sophistication. Despite this, some would anchor impressionism in a world from the past often associated with an old-fashioned aesthetic emotion. However because it was born visionary at that time, I’m convinced that this painting is definitely timeless and even more modern.
Thus, I’m welcoming impressionism again in a world that doesn’t know how to deal with impressions, abandoned by the simple idea of contemplation, reluctant to share emotions, whereas there are so many things to say.
Artistic and Technical Approach
I think the line has to flow out from a general movement to build up and maintain the consistency of the painting, without altering the original emotion that happens when you work too hard on it. It’s the instant impression I’m focusing my workflow on. There’s no easy painting or subjects. There is just an emotional path, a technical experience, a will to capture fugitive instants to transmit what I perceive as a vibrant and personal message. Painting is an introspective journey that would be close to an altered state of consciousness. A hyptonic experience in some ways. The odors of the solvents, the brush scratching against the canvas, the outside sounds from the workshop are acting like an invisible background that feed and shape the creating process. At a time when everything has to be quickly consumable, painting dares to stay and offer people the possibility of feeling emotions with the conviction of an unaltered feeling and without any weariness or routine.
A Special Canvas
Recently I’ve decided to create my own canvas from raw linen that I’m crafting to get the ideal weft. The linen is mounted on a wooden frame. I see each canvas as a single artistic object. I mold textures and effects by using old time techniques with modern materials and quality pigments. The possibilities in terms of creation are limitless and each painting explores its own path.
Nicolas Martin was born in Paris in 1983. As a teenager he discovered impressionism and since that moment, he has never stopped painting. Since 2018 he has been living in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt in Val-d’Oise (95) where he has set up his workshop.