Painted in circa 1910, this luminous coastal view records Augustus John's time in the South of France, where he was deeply influenced by the Mediterranean light and palette and mark a moment when he was experimenting most boldly with colour and light. Martigues is a small town in Provence, near Marseille, sometimes called the 'Venice of Provence' because of its canals and lightfilled waterfronts. It was a favourite location of the French modernists Derain, Signac and Braque who like John were drawn there by its intense southern light, bright Mediterranean colours, and picturesque harbours. Crucially, this work places John, not in the conservative art world of Edwardian London, but at the crucible of Modern European paining and in direct dialogue with the French avant-garde.