JACQUES MARTIN / ALIX COULEUR - Lot 152

JACQUES MARTIN / ALIX COULEUR Large-format direct-color drawing for the Villa Laurentine in 1982. 45 x 34 cm. Inscriptions / Signatures. Monogrammed JM lower right. Commentary Exceptional large-format drawing in Indian ink and direct color, entirely in Martin's hand, from an extremely interesting period in the artist's career (April 1982). A synthesis of Alix's work, but more particularly of the best of his modern period, this drawing stands on its own and says a great deal. Graphically, it is totally in line with the two albums "les proies du Volcan" (1978), and "l'Enfant Grec" (1980). There's a striking similarity between Alix's face in this drawing and the one on plate 3 of "L'Enfant Grec". Here, Alix has a typically Martinian face, characterized by eyes that say "Good", as he is the embodiment of clarity in the eponymous epic. The unmistakable Martinian smile is captured here in a particularly masterful expression of serenity and simplicity. The context in which it was created is most interesting. It was made by Martin for an exhibition entitled "la Laurentine et l'invention de la villa romaine", which ran from January 17 to February 5, 1983 at the Institut français d'architecture. The Villa Laurentine is the famous villa of the writer Pliny the Younger (61-114 AD). All that remains of the villa is Pliny's description of it. This exhibition presented plans for the restoration of this mythical "Villa Laurence", located in Laurentum (Italy, Latium), which Pliny the Younger described in an ancient letter (Book II, letter XVII, Pliny to Gallus), the text of which has been preserved and which makes it possible to imagine a restitution. Prior to this exhibition, a competition had been launched in 1981/1982, precisely to draw a plausible restitution; Martin had been unable to take part, doubtless too busy with other tasks, but had provided a drawing, this one, which was used. This drawing was made by Martin, inspired by one of the attempts at restitution of the villa proposed by the architect Léon KRIER. It is dated April 1982 on the back. This project is surprisingly close to the citadel of the "Spartan Denarius", reinforcing the interest of the drawing. - The drawing is marked in pencil as belonging to a named collection, and the name appears to be "Maurice Med", but we don't know who this person is, or the name is badly deciphered. - Finally, by way of comparison, this drawing belongs to the very small number of large full-length portraits of Alix known to have been used in separate illustrations (posters, point-of-sale displays, various advertisements...). None of the others appear to have been done in direct color, making this one absolutely unique. Attached is a photo of the ink drawing at the head of the well-known Martin portfolio (Ed. Ligne Claire). This is the closest we've seen to a comparable drawing. But it falls far short of this drawing in terms of completion, graphic perfection and intrinsic interest. And photo of a full-length portrait circa late '60s. References Drawing reproduced in the July 1982 issue of Charlie Mensuel (photos attached). The drawing is mentioned in Pierre de la Ruffinière du Prey's "The villas of Pliny from Antiquity to posterity". (The University of Chicago press, 1994) Despite this use, this rare drawing is little-known, and is not included in "Avec Alix", which makes it even rarer. Condition of drawing: the work is in very good condition, the paper completely free of foxing, not exposed to sunlight. A few scuff marks in the margins, all easy to remove.