British 1789-1854 John Martin Gallery His first exhibited subject picture, Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion (now in the St. Louis Art Museum), was hung in the Ante-room of the Royal Academy in 1812, and sold for fifty guineas. It was followed by the Expulsion (1813), Paradise (1813), Clytie (1814), and Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon (1816). In 1821 appeared his Belshazzar's Feast, which excited much favorable and hostile comment, and was awarded a prize of £200 at the British Institution, where the Joshua had previously carried off a premium of £100. Then came the Destruction of Herculaneum (1822), the Creation (1824), the Eve of the Deluge (1841), and a series of other Biblical and imaginative subjects. The Plains of Heaven is thought to reflect his memories of the Allendale of his youth. Martin's large paintings were inspired by "contemporary dioramas 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 2000-square-foot 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.  Related Paintings of John Martin :. | The Great Day of His Wirath (nn03) | The Eve of the Deluge | View of the Orangerie | The Last Judgement | The Deluge |
Related Artists:
MASTER of Saint Veronica
German Gothic Era Painter, active ca.1395-1420
Paulus Bor
(Amersfoort, c. 1601 - Amersfoort, 10 August 1669) was a Dutch painter. Bor was descended from a notable Catholic family. He made a study trip to Rome, where he was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels, taking the nickname Orlando. He returned in 1626 to Amersfoort and joined Jacob van Campen in the decoration of the palace Honselaarsdijk belonging to Frederik Hendrik. In 1656, he became regent of the godshuis "De Armen de Poth" in Amersfoort. Bor's style of painting was rather at odds with that of contemporary painters from Utrecht. He initially painted rather Caravaggisti-like history paintings, but his works fast became marked by a classicism related to that of his townsman van Campen. Through unusual compositions and primitive technique, his paintings depict strange and mysterious subjects.
Ernest Meissonier
Lyons 1815 - Paris 1891. French Academic Painter, 1815-1891. Lyons 1815 - Paris 1891. French Academic Painter, 1815-1891. French genre and military painter. His study of the Dutch masters was evident in his first Salon-exhibited painting, A Visit to the Burgomaster (1834). His small genre paintings are meticulous as to furnishings and costumes. Among Meissonier's battle scenes, chiefly of the Napoleonic Wars, are Napoleon I with His Staff (Louvre) and Friedland, 1807 (Metropolitan Mus.).