Twilight in the Valley, ca. 1902

In terms if painting technique, Twilight in the Valley by the French artist Henri Martin comes very close to the neo-impressionist use of points of colour. But this intimist scene transcends pure observation. The artist devotes more attention to the dusky light that ties all the elements together than to the spatial construction. It is as if nature were listened to as much as it is looked at, as if it were more a case of experiencing than of observing it. The concentrated composition and the golden glow of the setting sun are a visualisation of the union of man and nature. It is as if the two figures in the foreground have been absorbed into the field they are working in.