Raymond Martin after Rodin, Reclining Female Nude, 1960s, Pencil & Watercolor on Paper

Drawing of a naked woman, French mid century pencil and watercolour on paper study by famous French sculptor Raymond Martin. The drawing is signed bottom left and is presented in a silvered frame with cut card mount under glass.

This artwork showcases a figure drawn with fluid, swirling lines, capturing the essence of movement and rest simultaneously. Martin employs soft, muted tones of beige and grey, subtly accentuating the contours and shadows on the figure’s form. The subject reclines with an intriguing twist to the body, suggesting a moment of introspection or contemplation. The minimalistic approach, with few deliberate lines, masterfully conveys emotion and grace, allowing viewers to focus on the interplay between light and shadow, line and space. The use of negative space enhances the composition, drawing attention to the delicate balance achieved within the piece. Unique in its execution, the artwork exemplifies a harmonious blend of simplicity and expression, inviting the audience to explore the nuances of human form and emotion.

Born on April 24, 1910, Raymond Martin entered the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d'Art in 1925, which had just opened its doors. His teacher was Jules Jouant, a former student of Dalou and Rodin, who guided the teenager towards sculpture when, instinctively, he was destined to be a painter. It was during this period that he met Robert Wlérick, twenty-eight years his senior, of whom he was a faithful disciple and to whom he professed a devotion that was never wavered until the master's death in 1944.

from 1927 to 1929, he perfected his skills at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts inCoutan's studio. At the age of 22, he held his first exhibition in a private gallery, the Paquereau gallery, rue Guénégaud in Paris.
Shortly afterwards, official recognition was not long in coming. He saw his Bust of Mergier bought by the City of Paris. The same success was achieved at the Salon d'Automne, of which he was named a member, with the purchase by the State of the Tête d'Ève in bronze. Aware of his son's talent, his father had him build a studio in Cachanon rue Auguste Rodin (a street renamed in his honour by the Municipality of the City) where he would live all his life. He won his first prize in 1932, the Blumenthal Prize.

At the beginning of 1938, the competition for the official commission of the equestrian statue of Marshal Foch began, which Robert Wlérick and Raymond Martin obtained in collaboration. Robert Wlérick died in March 1944, Raymond Martin completed the important commission for the equestrian statue alone, which was inaugurated in 1951 in its current location, in the centre of the Place du Trocadéro.

from 1941 onwards, Raymond Martin exhibited at the Salon des Tuileries every year. The artist drew without interruption: at the end of 1943, he had a permanent exhibition of drawings at Jacquart. In 1944, he took up the position of professor at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière where he remained until 1951.

At the same time, Raymond Martin was elected professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
The artist continues to draw almost daily. In 1950, he executed the monument of General Manginat in the apse of the Church of Saint-François Xavier in Paris. State commissions followed one another, as did exhibitions and successes.

Raymond Martin was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts of the Institut de France in 1962, in the chair of the sculptor Henri Bouchard. from 1965 to 1969, he devoted himself to his great personal adventure, the creation of the memorial erected in memory of General Leclerc at the Porte d'Orléans in Paris.

In 1973, Raymond Martin was entrusted by Tunisia, on the occasion of the head of state's seventieth birthday, with the execution of an equestrian statue representing President Habib Bourguiba and a fountain, which were erected in Sfax.

In 1981, Raymond Martin participated in the architectural ensemble of the square in front of the Cathedral of Orléans. Then in 1982, the sculptor made two sculptures ("Summer" and "Winter") in the arcade of the new Senate buildings, rue Garancière in Paris, as well as the purchase by the municipality of Cachan of the bronze of the "La Rencontre", a naked couple, embraced, holding a small child in their arms (installed outside the post office in the real estate complex built in this city by the architect Louis Arretche).

The year 1985 was marked by 3 important exhibitions: the exhibition "Raymond-Martin at the Monnaie de Paris", "Raymond-Martin at the Despiau-Wlérick Museum in Mont-de-Marsan" and "Raymond-Martin at Cachan". In 1987, he was awarded the Byzantion Prize for one of his major works: The Man with the Trophy, which found its place in the Hôtel de Ville de Cachan. 1989 was an important year with the "Paris-Moscow" exhibition in Moscow; the exhibition on "French Sculpture, from Rodin to the Present Day" in Fontainebleau and the inauguration of the bas-reliefs for Marcel Dassault's mansion on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. .