This was the first retrospective exhibition held in Japan centering around works by artists Henri Le Sidaner (1862-1939) and Henri Martin (1860-1943), who were active in France from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century. These two artists established their own styles of painting by incorporating techniques of contemporary expression such as those of Neo-Impressionism and Symbolism, while building on the heritage of Impressionism. They depicted enchanting subjects, idyllic landscapes, and scenes of people close to them and their lives, painted with intimate emotions. Le Sidaner and Martin were core members of the generation that would be called “the last Impressionists,” and while they were close friends, they each sought to express light in their art in ways that were unique to their native regions. For example, Le Sidaner would focus on the soft, hazy light peculiar to northern France, while Martin painted the dazzling light of southern France. Composed of some 75 oil paintings, drawings and lithographs, this exhibition traced the artistic paths of these two artists who developed their own unique worlds of painting spanning the Belle Époque period at the turn of the century.

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