John Martin (19 July 1789 – 17 February 1854) was an English Romantic painter, engraver and illustrator. He was celebrated for his typically vast and dramatic paintings of religious subjects and

fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...

compositions, populated with minute figures placed in imposing landscapes. Martin's paintings, and the prints made from them, enjoyed great success with the general publicin 1821

Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at t ...

referred to him as "the most popular painter of his day"but were lambasted by

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

and other critics.

Early life

Martin was born in July 1789, in a one-room cottage, at

Haydon Bridge Haydon Bridge is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of about 2000, the civil parish Haydon being measured at 2,184 in the Census 2011. Its most distinctive features are the two bridges crossing the River Tyne, River South T ...

, near

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

in Northumberland, the fourth son of Fenwick Martin, a one-time

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

master. He was apprenticed by his father to a coachbuilder in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

to learn heraldic painting, but owing to a dispute over wages the indentures were cancelled, and he was placed instead under Boniface Musso, an Italian artist, father of the enamel painter

Charles Muss Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

. With his master, Martin moved from Newcastle to London in 1806, where he married at the age of nineteen, and supported himself by giving drawing lessons, and by painting in watercolours, and on china and glass—his only surviving painted plate is now in a private collection in England. His leisure was occupied in the study of perspective and architecture. His brothers were

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, the eldest, an inventor; Richard, a tanner who became a soldier in the Northumberland Fencibles in 1798, rising to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

and fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and at Waterloo; and Jonathan, a preacher tormented by madness who set fire to

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

in 1829, for which he stood trial.

Beginnings as artist

Martin began to supplement his income by painting

sepia Sepia may refer to: Biology * ''Sepia'' (genus), a genus of cuttlefish Color * Sepia (color), a reddish-brown color * Sepia tone, a photography technique Music * ''Sepia'', a 2001 album by Coco Mbassi * ''Sepia'' (album) by Yu Takahashi * " ...

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

s. He sent his first oil painting to the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1810, but it was not hung. In 1811 he sent the painting once again, when it was hung under the title ''A Landscape Composition'' as item no.46 in the Great Room. Thereafter, he produced a succession of large exhibited oil paintings: some landscapes, but more usually grand biblical themes inspired by the Old Testament. His landscapes have the ruggedness of the Northumberland crags, while some authors claim that his apocalyptic canvasses, such as ''The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah'', show his familiarity with the forges and ironworks of the Tyne Valley and display his intimate knowledge of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. In the years of the

Regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

from 1812 onwards there was a fashion for such ‘sublime’ paintings. Martin's first break came at the end of a season at the Royal Academy, where his first major sublime canvas ''

Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion ''Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion'' is an 1812 oil painting by John Martin. It has been called "the most famous of the British romantic works"; it was the first of Martin's characteristically dramatic, grand, grandiose large picture ...

'' had been hung—and ignored. He brought it home, only to find there a visiting card from William Manning MP, who wanted to buy it from him. Patronage propelled Martin's career. This promising career was interrupted by the deaths of his father, mother, grandmother and young son in a single year. Another distraction was William, who frequently asked him to draw up plans for his inventions, and whom he always indulged with help and money. But, heavily influenced by the works of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

, he continued with his grand themes despite setbacks. In 1816 Martin finally achieved public acclaim with ''Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon'', even though it broke many of the conventional rules of composition. In 1818, on the back of the sale of the ''Fall of Babylon'' for £420 (equivalent to £ in 2015), he finally rid himself of debt and bought a house in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, where he came into contact with artists, writers, scientists and Whig nobility. File:John Martin - Ruins of an Ancient City - Cleveland Art Museum.jpg, ''Ruins of an Ancient City'' (1810) Oil on paper, mounted on canvas, 95.6 x 118.6 cm.. Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio File:Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion.jpg, ''Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion'' (1812) oil on canvas, 76.2 × 63.5 cm., Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri File:John Martin - Moonlight - Chepstow Castle - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Moonlight, Chepstow Castle'' (1815) watercolour with gum arabic, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide File:JoshuaSun Martin.jpg, ''Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon'' (1816) oil on canvas, 150 x 231 cm., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:John Martin - The Bard - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Bard'' (c. 1817) oil on canvas, 127 x 101.6 cm., Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut

Painter of repute

John Martin - Belshazzar's Feast - Google Art Project

Martin's triumph was ''

Belshazzar's Feast Belshazzar's feast, or the story of the writing on the wall (chapter 5 in the Book of Daniel), tells how Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the Solomon's Temple, First Temple. A ...

'', of which he boasted beforehand, "it shall make more noise than any picture ever did before... only don't tell anyone I said so." Five thousand people paid to see it. It was later nearly ruined when the carriage in which it was being transported was struck by a train at a

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...

near

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads. The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of ...

. In private Martin was passionate, a devotee of chess—and, in common with his brothers, swordsmanship and javelin-throwing—and a devout Christian, believing in "

natural religion Natural religion most frequently means the "religion of nature", in which God, the soul, spirits, and all objects of the supernatural are considered as part of nature and not separate from it. Conversely, it is also used in philosophy to describe s ...

". Despite an often cited singular instance of his hissing at the national anthem, he was courted by royalty and presented with several gold medals, one of them from the Russian Tsar Nicholas, on whom a visit to Wallsend colliery on Tyneside had made an unforgettable impression: "My God," he had cried, "it is like the mouth of Hell." Martin became the official historical painter to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, later the first King of Belgium. Leopold was the godfather of Martin's son Leopold, and endowed Martin with the Order of Leopold. Martin frequently had early morning visits from another Saxe-Coburg, Prince Albert, who would engage him in banter from his horse—Martin standing in the doorway still in his dressing gown—at seven o'clock in the morning. Martin was a defender of

deism Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evi ...

and natural religion, evolution (before

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

) and rationality.

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...

became an admirer of Martin's, and he increasingly enjoyed the company of scientists, artists and writers—

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Michael Faraday Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inducti ...

and

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

among them. Martin took a home near Turner in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

. Martin began to experiment with

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonali ...

technology, and as a result was commissioned to produce 24 engravings for a new edition of ''Paradise Lost''—perhaps the definitive illustrations of Milton's masterpiece, of which copies now fetch many hundreds of pounds. Politically his sympathies are not clear; some claim he was a radical, but this is not borne out by known facts, although he knew

William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for ...

, the ageing reformed revolutionist, husband of

Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...

and father of

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

; and John Hunt, co-founder of '' The Examiner''. At one time the Martins took under their wing a young woman called

Jane Webb Jane Webb Karyl, (August 13, 1925 – March 30, 2010) best known as Jane Webb, was an American film, radio, and voice actress, best known for her work on Filmation's cartoons. Early years Webb's mother was Estelle Sigrid Webb, a Swedish immigran ...

, who at twenty produced ''

The Mummy! ''The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century'' is an 1827 three-volume novel written by Jane Webb (later Jane C. Loudon). It concerns the Egyptian mummy of Cheops, who is brought back to life in the year 2126. The novel describes a future fi ...

'' a socially optimistic but satirical vision of a steam-driven world in the 22nd century. Another friend was

Charles Wheatstone Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS FRSE DCL LLD (6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875), was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope (a device for di ...

, professor of physics at King's College, London. Wheatstone experimented with telegraphy and invented the concertina and stereoscope; Martin was fascinated by his attempts to measure the speed of light. Accounts of Martin's evening parties reveal an astonishing array of thinkers, eccentrics and social movers; one witness was a young

John Tenniel Sir John Tenniel (; 28 February 182025 February 1914)Johnson, Lewis (2003), "Tenniel, John", ''Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online'', Oxford University Press. Web. Retrieved 12 December 2016. was an English illustrator, graphic humorist and pol ...

—later the illustrator of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's work—who was heavily influenced by Martin and was a close friend of his children. At various points Martin's brothers were also among the guests, their eccentricities and conversation adding to the already exotic flavour of the fare.

Paintings

His first exhibited subject picture, ''

'' (now in the

St. Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, Mi ...

), was hung in the Ante-room of the

in 1812, and sold for fifty guineas. The piece depicts a scene from the ''Tales of Two Genii" ''It was followed by the ''Expulsion'' (1813), ''Adam's First Sight of Eve'' (1813), ''Clytie'' (1814), ''Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon'' (1816) and ''The Fall of Babylon'' (1819). In 1820 appeared his ''

'', which excited much favourable and hostile comment, and was awarded a prize of £200 at the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

, where the ''Joshua'' had previously carried off a premium of £100. Then came ''

The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum ''The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum'' is a large 1822 painting by English artist John Martin of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It follows the pattern set by his previous successful painting, '' Belshazzar's Feast'', which ...

'' (1822), ''The Creation'' (1824), the ''Eve of the Deluge'' (1840), and a series of other Biblical and imaginative subjects. ''

The Plains of Heaven ''The Plains of Heaven'' is a 1982 Australian film directed by Ian Pringle, about two men at a remote satellite relay station who contemplate their obsessions. Ian Pringle shared the Interfilm Award win for ''The Plains of Heaven'' at the Mannhe ...

'' is thought by some to reflect his memories of the Allendale of his youth. Martin's large paintings were closely connected with contemporary

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

s or panoramas, popular entertainments in which large painted cloths were displayed, and animated by the skilful use of artificial light. Martin has often been claimed as a forerunner of the epic cinema, and there is no doubt that the pioneer director D. W. Griffith was aware of his work." In turn, the diorama makers borrowed Martin's work, to the point of plagiarism. A version of ''Belshazzar's Feast'' was mounted at a facility called the British Diorama in 1833; Martin tried, but failed, to shut down the display with a court order. Another diorama of the same picture was staged in New York City in 1835. These dioramas were tremendous successes with their audiences, but wounded Martin's reputation in the serious art world. The painting ''The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah'', 1852 is currently at the

Laing Art Gallery The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is located on New Bridge Street West. The gallery was designed in the Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements by architects Cackett & Burns Dick and is now a Grade II listed building. It ...

. File:John Martin - Macbeth - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Macbeth'' (1820) oil on canvas, 86 x 65.1 cm., Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh File:Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum.jpg, ''The Destruction of Pompei and Herculaneum'' (c. 1821) oil on canvas, 161.6 x 253 cm., Tate Britain, London File:Martin, John - The Seventh Plague - 1823.jpg, ''Seventh Plague of Egypt'' (1823) oil on canvas, 144.1 x 214 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston File:John Martin - The Deluge - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Deluge'' (1834) oil on canvas, 168.3 x 258.4 cm., Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut File:Coronation of Queen Victoria - John Martin.jpg, ''The Coronation of Queen Victoria'' (1839) oil on canvas, 238.1 x 185.4 cm., Tate Britain, London File:John Martin - The Eve of the Deluge - WGA14146.jpg, ''The Eve of the Deluge'' (1840) oil on canvas, 143 x 218 cm., Windsor Castle, London File:The Assuaging of the Waters by John Martin, 1840.jpg, ''The Assuaging of the Waters'' (1840) oil on canvas, 143.5 x 219.1 cm., California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco File:John Martin - Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still'' (c. 1840) oil on canvas, 47.9 x 108.3 cm., Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut File:John Martin - Destruction of Tyre - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Destruction of Tyre'' (1840) oil on canvas, 83.8 x 109.5 cm., Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio File:John Martin Le Pandemonium Louvre.JPG, ''Pandemonium'' (1841) oil on canvas, 123 x 185 cm., Louvre Museum, Paris

Engravings

In addition to being a painter, John Martin was a

engraver. For significant periods of his life, he earned more from his engravings than his paintings. In 1823, Martin was commissioned by Samuel Prowett to illustrate

's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

'', for which he was paid 2000 guineas. Before the first 24 engravings were completed he was paid a further 1500 guineas for a second set of 24 engravings on smaller plates. Some of the more notable prints include '' Pandæmonium'' and '' Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council'', remarkable for the science fiction element visible in the depicted architecture, and arguably his most dramatic composition '' Bridge over Chaos''. Prowett issued 4 separate editions of the engravings in monthly instalments, the first appearing on 20 March 1825 and the last in 1827. Later, inspired by Prowett's venture, between 1831 and 1835 Martin published his own illustrations to accompany the Old Testament but the project was a serious drain on his resources and not very profitable. He sold his remaining stock to Charles Tilt who republished them in a folio album in 1838 and in a smaller format in 1839.

Engravings and mezzotints

File:Martin, John - Satan presiding at the Infernal Council - 1824.JPG, ''Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council'' (1824) mezzotint and engraving, size unknown, Victoria and Albert Museum, London File:John Martin, Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still, 1827, NGA 124846.jpg, ''Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still'' (1827) mezzotint and etching, plate: 57.1 x 77.8 cm (22 1/2 x 30 5/8 in.), National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. File:John Martin - The Evening of the Deluge - WGA14147.jpg, ''The Evening of the Deluge'' (1828) mezzotint and engraving, 597 x 817 mm, Victoria and Albert Museum, London File:Eve's Dream, Satan Aroused, from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14 × 20.2 cm. (5 12 × 7 1516 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.jpg, ''Eve's Dream, Satan Aroused'', from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14 × 20.2 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston File:Paradise, Adam and Eve, the Morning Hymn, from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 20.5 cm. (5 58 × 8 116 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.jpg, ''Paradise, Adam and Eve, the Morning Hymn'', from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 20.5 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston File:The Creation of Light (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate, 13.3 × 19.7 cm. (5 14 × 7 34 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.jpg, ''The Creation of Light'', from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate, 13.3 × 19.7 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston File:Satan Tempting Eve, from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 20 cm. (5 58 × 7 78 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.jpg, ''Satan Tempting Eve'', from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 20 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston File:Bridge of Chaos, from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 21 cm. (5 58 × 8 14 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.jpg, ''Bridge of Chaos'', from Paradise Lost (1824–1827) mezzotint, plate 14.3 × 21 cm., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Works on paper

File:The Destruction of Pharaoh’s Host, by John Martin.jpg, ''The Destruction of Pharaoh’s Host'' (1836), pencil, watercolor with gum arabic, 58.4 x 85.7 cm., The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles File:John Martin - The country of the Iguanodon - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Country of the Iguanodon'' (1837) watercolor on paper, 30.2 x 42.4 cm., Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington File:John Martin - Manfred and the Alpine Witch - WGA14148.jpg, ''Manfred and the Alpine Witch'' (1837) watercolor, 38.8 x 55.8 cm., Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester File:John Martin - Manfred on the Jungfrau (1837).jpg, ''Manfred On The Jungfrau'', inspired by Byron's ''Manfred'' (1837) watercolour, gouache and gum arabic, dimensions unknown, Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham

Later life

His profile was raised further in February 1829 when his elder brother, non-conformist Jonathan Martin, deliberately set fire to

. The fire caused extensive damage and the scene was likened by an onlooker to Martin's work, oblivious to the fact that it had more to do with him than it initially seemed. Jonathan Martin's defence at his trial was paid for with John Martin's money. Jonathan Martin, known as "Mad Martin", was ultimately found guilty but was spared the hangman's noose on the grounds of insanity. Martin from about 1827 to 1828 had turned away from painting, and became involved with many plans and inventions. He developed a fascination with solving London's water and sewage problems, involving the creation of the

Thames embankment The Thames Embankment is a work of 19th-century civil engineering that reclaimed marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria Embankment and Chelsea Embankment. History There had been a long history of f ...

, containing a central drainage system. His plans were visionary, and formed the basis for later engineers' designs. His 1834 plans for London's sewerage system anticipated by some 25 years the 1859 proposals of

Joseph Bazalgette Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB (; 28 March 181915 March 1891) was a 19th-century English civil engineer. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation (in response to the Great Stink of 1 ...

to create intercepting sewers complete with walkways along both banks of the River Thames. He also made plans for railway schemes, including lines on both banks of the Thames. The plans, along with ideas for "laminating timber", lighthouses, and draining islands, all survive. Debt and family pressures, including the suicide of his nephew (Jonathan's son Richard) brought on depression which reached its worst in 1838. From 1839 Martin's fortunes recovered and he exhibited many works during the 1840s. During the last four years of his life Martin was engaged in a trilogy of large paintings of biblical subjects: ''

The Last Judgment The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

'', ''

The Great Day of His Wrath ''The End of the World'', commonly known as ''The Great Day of His Wrath'', is an 1851–1853 oil painting on canvas by the English painter John Martin. Leopold Martin, John Martin's son, said that his father found the inspiration for this pai ...

'', and ''

'', of which two were bequeathed to

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

in 1974, the other having been acquired for the Tate some years earlier. They were completed in 1853, just before the stroke which paralysed his right side. He was never to recover and died on 17 February 1854, on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. He is buried in Kirk Braddan cemetery. Major exhibitions of his works are still mounted. File:John Martin - The Plains of Heaven - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Plains of Heaven'' (c. 1851) oil on canvas, 198 x 306 cm., Tate Britain, London File:John Martin - The Great Day of His Wrath - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Great Day of His Wrath'' (1851) oil on canvas, 196.5 x 303 cm., Tate Britain, London File:John Martin - The Last Judgement - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Last Judgment'' (1853) oil on canvas, 196 x 325 cm., Tate Britain, London File:John Martin - Sodom and Gomorrah.jpg, ''The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah'' (1852) oil on canvas, 136.3 x 212.3 cm., Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne

Legacy

View in Richmond Park, John Martin, 1850

Martin enjoyed immense popularity and his influence survived. One of his followers was

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for his romantic landscape and history paintin ...

, founder of American landscape painting. Others whose imaginations were fired by him included Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Brontës – a print of ''Belshazzar's Feast'' hung on the parlour wall of the Brontë parsonage in

Haworth Haworth () is a village in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines, south-west of Keighley, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages includ ...

, and his works were to have a direct influence upon the writings of Charlotte and her sisters, who as children played with a model of him. Martin's fantasy architecture influenced the Glasstown and Angria of the Brontë juvenilia, where he himself appears as Edward de Lisle of Verdopolis. Martin enjoyed a European reputation and influence.

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

wrote of the music of

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

that "It makes me see visions of fabulous empires and many a cloud-capped, impossible wonder. Its magical strains conjure up Babylon, the hanging gardens of Semiramis, the marvels of Nineveh, the mighty constructions of Mizraim, as we see them in the pictures of the English painter Martin." Martin's work influenced the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

– especially

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

, and several generations of movie-makers, from D. W. Griffith, who borrowed his Babylon from Martin, to

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

and

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

. Writers like

Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, and

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Clifton Suspension Bridge The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provides fun ...

. A number of Martin's engineering plans for London which included a circular connecting railway, though they failed to be built in his lifetime, came to fruition many years later. This would have pleased him inordinately – he is known to have exclaimed to his son, Leopold, that he would rather have been an engineer than painter. Like some other popular artists, Martin fell victim to changes in fashion and public taste. His grandiose visions seemed theatrical and outmoded to the mid-Victorians, and after Martin died his works became neglected and gradually forgotten. "Few artists have been subject to such posthumous extremes of critical fortune, for in the 1930s his vast paintings fetched only a pound or two, while today they are valued at many thousands." John Martin (1789-1854) - Twilight in the Woodlands - 1502 - Fitzwilliam Museum

John Martin (1789-1854) - Twilight in the Woodlands - 1502 - Fitzwilliam Museum

A number of Martin's works survive in public collections: the

in Newcastle – which also holds his famous "black cabinet" of projects in progress;

, the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Yale Center for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the worl ...

Saint Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, Mi ...

and elsewhere in the USA. The RIBA holds many of his engineering pamphlets. There are letters in private collections and at Queen Mary College in London. John Martin wrote two autobiographies, the first an article in '' The Athenaeum'' of 14 June 1834, page 459 and the most extensive in ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

'', 17 March 1849, pp. 176–177. A major source for his life is a series of reminiscences by his son Leopold, published in sixteen parts in the ''Newcastle Weekly Chronicle'' in 1889. There are a number of surviving letters and reminiscences by, among others, B.R. Haydon,

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

, the

Rossetti The House of Rossetti is an Italian noble, and Boyar Princely family appearing in the 14th-15th century, originating among the patrician families, during the Republic of Genoa, with branches of the family establishing themselves in the Kingdom o ...

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature. She enlisted i ...

and

– a persistent critic who, even so, admitted Martin's uniqueness of vision. The first full biography was that by Mary L. Pendered whose chief source, Martin's friend Sergeant Ralph Thomas, wrote a diary – now lost – of their friendship. Thomas Balston then wrote two biographies on the artist, the first in 1934, and the second (still the leading biography) in 1947. Christopher Johnstone produced an introductory book on Martin 1974, and in 1975 the art critic

William Feaver William Feaver (born 1 December 1942) is a British art critic, curator, artist and lecturer. From 1975–1998 he was the chief art critic of the Observer, and from 1994 a visiting professor at Nottingham Trent University. His book ''The Pitmen ...

was author of an extensively illustrated work on Martin's life and works. Since 1986, Michael J. Campbell has produced a number of publications on John Martin, including the leading publication on his work as an original printmaker, published by the Royal Academy of Arts, Madrid, in 2006. In 2011–12 Tate Britain and Newcastle's

co-curated a major retrospective exhibition of Martin's work in all genres -"John Martin – Apocalypse" – including his contribution as a civil engineer. Featured in the exhibition was the fully restored ''The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum'', 1822. Recorded as lost in the disastrous Tate Gallery flood of 1928, the painting was rediscovered by Christopher Johnstone, a research assistant at the gallery, when he was researching his book ''John Martin'' (1974). Its restoration by Tate conservator Sarah Maisey, reveals that the original paintwork was in near pristine condition; a large area of missing canvas has been repainted by Maisey using techniques that were not available in 1973 as she describes on page 113 of the exhibition catalogue ''John Martin: Apocalypse'' (2011). When rediscovered the painting was rolled up inside the missing

Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (17 July 1797 – 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English ...

painting ''

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey ''The Execution of Lady Jane Grey'' is an oil painting by Paul Delaroche, completed in 1833, which is now in the National Gallery in London. It was enormously popular in the decades after it was painted, but in the 20th century realist historica ...

'' which was returned to the National Gallery, London.

Family

Wife and children

John Martin on his Death-Bed (1854) by Charles Martin, Laning Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne

With his wife Susan, née Garrett, who was nine years older than him, Martin had six children who survived to adulthood: Alfred (who worked with his father as a mezzotint engraver and later became a senior tax official), Isabella, Zenobia (who married the artist Peter Cunningham), Leopold (who became a clerk), Charles (1820–1906), who was trained as a painter by his father, copying a number of his father's works – he later became a successful portrait painter and lived in America – his last exhibit at the Royal Academy was in 1896 and Jessie (who married Egyptologist Joseph Bonomi). Leopold was the godson of the future

King Leopold I * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Loui ...

of Belgium, who had met and befriended Martin when they shared lodgings on

Marylebone High Street Marylebone High Street is a shopping street in London, running sub-parallel to Baker Street and terminating at its northern end at the junction with Marylebone Road. Given its secluded location, the street has been described as "the hidden wond ...

in about 1815. Leopold later wrote a series of reminiscences of his father, published in the ''Newcastle Weekly Chronicle Supplement'' in 1889. Leopold accompanied his father on many walks and visits, and his anecdotes include encounters with

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...

and

. Leopold married the sister of

, later famous as the cartoonist of ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' and illustrator of ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

''.

Martin's brothers

Martin's eldest brother,

(1772–1851) was by turn a rope-maker, soldier, inventor, scientist, writer and lecturer, who attempted to develop a rival philosophy to "Newtonian" science, allowing for perpetual motion, and denying the law of gravity. Despite undoubted elements of "quackery and buffoonery", William had a great talent for inventing. In 1819 he produced a miner's safety lamp which was said to be better and more reliable than that of Sir

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for t ...

. The only recognition he achieved in this field was a silver medal from the Royal Society for the invention of the spring balance. The second eldest brother, Richard, was a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

in the guards, serving throughout the

, and was present at Waterloo. Jonathan, the third eldest brother, (1782–1838) achieved notoriety by setting fire to

in February 1829. He was subsequently apprehended, tried and found not guilty on the grounds of insanity. He was confined to

St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics was founded in London in 1751 for the treatment of incurable pauper lunatics by a group of philanthropic apothecaries and others. It was the second public institution in London created to look after mentally ill pe ...

in London, where he remained until his death.

Notes

References

External links

*
On John Martin and CitiesPhryne's list of pictures by Martin in accessible UK collectionsArchives of John Martin held by Queen Mary, University of London Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, John 1789 births 1854 deaths People from Allendale, Northumberland English romantic painters 19th-century English painters English male painters Painters from London People from Hexham 19th-century English male artists

Early life

Beginnings as artist

Painter of repute

Paintings

Engravings

Engravings and mezzotints

Works on paper

Later life

Legacy

Family

Wife and children

Martin's brothers

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links