The First Red Painting with Local Colour

The title of this work suggests a double meaning. For a painter, "local colour" means the colour of the thing depicted independent of light and shadow; here, Martin has separated and emphasized his "local colours" by shaping thick black paint around each area so that its intensity is heightened. "Local colour" can also refer to the descriptive passages in a work of literature that situate it in a particular place or time; this meaning is expressed in the flamboyant, decorative quality of the painting.