Elias Martin
Elias Martin (baptized March 8, 1739 in Stockholm , † January 25, 1818 ibid) was a Swedish painter who became famous primarily for his landscape and genre paintings and portraits .
Martin was the son of cabinet makers Olof Martin and Ulrika Haupt, a sister of the furniture maker Georg Haupt . Martin received his first instruction from his father and because of his talent he was later sent to the painter FC Schultz. About this Martin got employment with the shipbuilder Fredrik Henrik af Chapman , who used him as a draftsman and drawing teacher for the officers at Sveaborg Castle . Field Marshal Augustin Ehrensvärd was his adviser there, and Martin made friends with his son Carl August Ehrensvärd and taught him the art of painting.
In 1766 Martin moved to Paris to study , where he got a place at the École académique through Alexander Roslin's recommendation , with instructions from Claude Joseph Vernet and probably also François Boucher . In 1768 Martin moved on to London . There he was accepted two years later as an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts , where he participated in exhibitions and as a drawing teacher in society. This was certainly also due to his friendly relationship with the architect William Chambers . In England Martin developed his own watercolor technique and taught other people in copperplate engraving and mezzotint , although he did not reveal a personal touch in the latter techniques.
Martin returned to Sweden in 1780, where a year later he became a member of the art academy and also taught. Gustav III commissioned him with the series Swedish Views . In later years his work became more and more religious, as evidenced by the works John the Baptist preaching in the desert (Museum Nyköping ) and Father Spring . In the Swedish National Museum he is present, among other things, with a portrait of his friend Carl Michael Bellman and a self-portrait. There were also over 200 oil paintings in his estate.
In 1770 Martin married the Englishwoman Ann Lee, with whom he had their son Fredrik Erik Martin, who also became an artist. Martin's brother Johan Fredrik Martin was a graphic designer and professor at the Swedish Art Academy. During his active time, Martin was familiar with artists such as Bellman, Erik Palmstedt and Johan Tobias Sergel . In his later years he withdrew more and more from social life due to eye problems and economic problems.
Elias Martin was buried in the cemetery of the Adolf Friedrich Church in Stockholm.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Martin, Elias |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swedish painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | baptized March 8, 1739 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stockholm |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 25, 1818 |
| Place of death | Stockholm |