John Martin

John Martin, one of the leading English artists of the nineteenth century, was primarily a painter of biblical subjects and classical landscapes inspired by Claude Lorrain, prolifically pursuing these genres in printmaking as well. Above all he is best known for the landscape paintings that portrayed the natural world as sublime, overpowering the presence of man. After working as a glass and ceramic painter, Martin achieved initial recognition for a series of large canvases when he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812. Gaining widespread popularity in 1816, he was consequently appointed historical painter to Princess Charlotte. To maintain a steady income, the artist additionally produced a number of sepia or gray wash watercolors depicting classical scenes like this sheet. His fascination with recreating the landscapes of vanished civilizations, such as that of ancient Egypt, clearly informed his choice of subject for this drawing. Despite the modest size of this work, Martin still convincingly portrays nature as dominant, contrasting the small figures in the foreground with the most prominent feature of the composition: the unnaturally large tree. His skill at creating atmospheric perspective is shown in the delicate washes employed to form the mountains of the background. A similar work is currently in the Whitworth Gallery at the University of Manchester, England (D.1900.7).