John Martin
Born – Haydon Bridge, England 1789
Died – Douglas, England 1854
John Martin’s excessively dramatic and apocalyptic visions of landscape as the backdrop for cosmic or biblical happenings seem to have been designed with Hollywood epics in mind. These spectacular, melodramatic scenes made an impact on the Romantic imagination, appealing more to literary circles then being directly influential in the visual arts. From 1811 Martin exhibited at the Royal Academy and came to attention with Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still (1816). He illustrated Milton’s Paradise Lost in 1827 and was described as “The poet’s painter”. Engravings of his grandiose compositions were widely circulated across Europe, his reputation being particularly high in France where he received a gold medal from Charles X in 1829. Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion is a typical canvas, illustrating an awesome vision of towering rocks and cathartic light effects. Martin’s virtuoso handling and capacity for illustrating fantastical scenes, rendering them convincing, is extraordinary. The almost imperceptible presence of diminutive man is highly evocative and must have fired the imagination of God-fearing spectators.
Masterpieces:
- Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
- The Great Days of his Wrath
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About john martin
John Martin: Apocalypse
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John Martin: Apocalypse Now!
Barbara Morden
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Martin Luther : Selections From His Writings
Martin Luther
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