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Man Between Vice and Virtue

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Man Between Vice and Virtue
French: L'Homme entre le vice et la virtue
ArtistHenri Martin
Year1892
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions345 cm × 496 cm (136 in × 195 in)
LocationMusée des Augustins, Toulouse, France

Man Between Vice and Virtue (French: L'homme entre le vice et la virtue) is an 1892 symbolist painting by Henri Martin. The painting is currently housed in le Musée des Augustins, in Toulouse, France.

Description

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Against the backdrop of a desert landscape, a naked man appears to advance towards a floating female figure clothed in a virginal white dress that emanates in the right portion of the painting.

The man in the painting is followed by a group of women clothed in transparent flowery attire. The group seems to dance and sing in order to attract his attention. In the center of the group is a woman in black dress with peacock feathers and butterfly wings, which symbolize vice in its many forms.[1]

The work is signed "Henri Martin 92" in the lower right corner.

History

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Martin adopted a divisionist (pointillist) technique upon returning to Paris from Italy in the 1880s[2] His style was slowly transitioning from realism. This work in particular is unusual because of the realist portrayal of the man's body.

References

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  1. ^ The Academy and Literature. Vol. 41. Academy Publishing Company. 1892. p. 573. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  2. ^ "Into the Light: Henri Martin, the French Post-Impressionist 1 – The Eclectic Light Company". eclecticlight.co. Retrieved 2016-08-20.