John Martin (painter)

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John Martin in an oil painting by Henry Warren , 1839

John Martin (born July 19, 1789 in Haydon Bridge near Hexham , Northumberland , England , † February 17, 1854 on the Isle of Man ) was an English painter and printmaker .

Life

Martin's father wanted to apprentice him to a manufacturer of traveling coaches so that he could learn the art of heraldry there, but because of a difference of opinion this agreement was terminated and Martin went to Bonifacio Musso , an Italian artist, the father of the enamel painter Charles Musso (1779 -1824). Martin moved with his master from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to London in 1806 , where he married at the age of nineteen and earned his living by drawing lessons, glass and porcelain painting, and watercolor paintings. In his free time he was interested in perspective and architecture .

From 1812 Martin received greater attention for his work. He became even better known when his older brother, the nonconformist Jonathan Martin, deliberately set fire to York Minster in February 1829 . The fire did considerable damage, and the sight was compared to the works of John Martin by onlookers unaware of the connection between the arsonist and the painter. John paid his brother's defense in court; Jonathan, known as "Mad Martin", was found guilty, but he remained because of insanity strand spared.

In 1854 Martin suffered a stroke while at work and died on the Isle of Man .

plant

Pandemonium , mezzotint

Martin's first painting to be shown in an exhibition was Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion ( Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion ). It was sold for 50 guineas and hung in the anteroom of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1812 and is now in the Saint Louis Art Museum . The painting was followed by Expulsion ( The Expulsion , 1813), Paradise ( The Paradise , 1813), Clytie (1814) and Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon ( Joshua commanding the sun to stand still over Gibeon , 1816). In 1821, his picture appeared Belshazzar's Feast ( Belshazzar's feast ), which gave many positive comments and enemy occasion and a prize of 200 pounds at the British Institution, which was where Joshua had previously received a prize of 100 pounds. More pictures were Destruction of Herculaneum ( The destruction of Herculaneum , 1822), Creation ( Creation , 1824), Eve of the Deluge ( The Flood , 1841) and a number of other biblical and fantastic themes. Martin enjoyed great popularity. A print of Belshazzar's Feast hung in the parlor of the Brontës parsonage in Haworth , where Charlotte and her brother Branwell copied Martin's works. Martin's fantastic architecture influenced the kingdoms of Glasstown and Angria in the Brontës' youthful work, in which he himself appears as Edward de Lisle of Verdopolis.

The Great Day of His Wrath , about 1853.

In addition to his work as a painter, John Martin was an important graphic artist. For many years, his income from mezzotints exceeded the income from selling his paintings. In 1823, Martin was commissioned by Samuel Prowett, an American publisher, to illustrate John Milton's Paradise Lost , for which he was paid £ 2,000. Before the first 24 stitches were completed, he was paid an additional £ 1,500 for a second set of 24 smaller stitches. Two of the engravings more notable for the architecture depicted are Pandemonium and Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council ( Satan presides over the Council of Hell ). Prowett published four separate editions of the engravings in monthly issues, the first of which appeared on March 24, 1825, and the last in 1827. Martin was inspired by Prowett's venture to self-publish his own illustrations of the Old Testament. This happened between 1831 and 1835, but the project turned out to be extremely costly and not very profitable. He sold the remaining illustrations to Charles Tilt, who published them in a folio album in 1838 and in a smaller format in 1839.

Martin also worked on plans for the urban improvement of London and published numerous pamphlets and plans for the city's water supply, sewerage, docks and the railway system. His plans for the sewerage system, published in 1834, anticipated Joseph Bazalgette's plans in 1859 , which proposed the construction of collecting canals with access on both banks of the Thames .

During the last four years of his life working Martin on a triptych of important biblical themes: The Last Judgment ( The Last Judgment ), The Great Day of His Wrath ( The great day of his wrath ) and The Plains of Heaven ( The heavens levels ). From The Plains of Heaven , it is believed that it was his childhood memories of Allendale reflects. The paintings were bequeathed to Tate Britain in 1974 .

literature

This article contains text from the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, which is now in the public domain .

Web links

Commons : John Martin  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Martin, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British painter
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1789
PLACE OF BIRTH Haydon Bridge
DATE OF DEATH February 17, 1854
Place of death Isle of Man