Painted circa 1903, Les Faucheurs is an idyllic vision of rural harmony bathed in the light of southern France. Themes of harvest labour – portrayed as both documentary record and poetic meditation – comprise some of Martin’s most celebrated works, many the result of commissions housed in public buildings throughout France.

The present example is one such, being a smaller version of Martin’s expansive mural cycle housed in the Capitole de Toulouse, comprising three monumental canvases entitled ‘Le printemps’, ‘L’été and ‘L’Automne.’ L’été – also known at Les faucheurs (mowers)– is the central panel. The figures are arranged with expert skill, Martin positioning the haymakers in a rhythmic sequence that draws the viewer’s eye from the shadowed foreground through the sunlit middle ground and the distinctive poplar trees, to the distant purple hills beyond. This thoughtful choreography turns manual labour into a pastoral ballet, where each movement adds to a larger visual symphony. This is directly expressed in the three girls performing a dance to the right of the composition, and in contrast to the otherwise masculine activity.

Martin’s characteristic use of divisionist brushwork, applied with intuitive fluidity, allows colour variations to breathe across the canvas and evoke an atmosphere of shimmering light. His palette combines warm ochres and golden yellows with cool violets and blues, which energises the whole composition and evocatively suggests the late afternoon sunshine of southern France.

Martin, who studied under Jean-Paul Laurens at the École des Beaux-Arts, belongs to a generation of artists who aimed to bridge the gap between academic tradition and avant-garde experimentation. His interest in the harvesting theme was prevalent throughout his career. Indeed, sketches from 1901 reveal his early ideas for the present composition.

Exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1906, it was also included in Martin’s retrospective at the Petit Palais in 1935, where it was positioned as a key example of the artist’s mature style and his influence on the development of Post-Impressionist painting.