John Martin Wall Art

John Martin (July 19, 1789 – February 17, 1854) was a multitalented English painter who painted romance and also worked as an illustrator and engraver. He was born near Hexham, Northumberland. During his early years, he was apprenticed to study heraldic painting, but things didn't work out and so he was put under Boniface Musso, an Italian artist. Martin together with Musso relocated to London from Newcastle in 1806. Having acquired enormous skills in drawing, Martin was able to support himself by offering drawing lessons and creating art using watercolors, china and glass. He has only one painted plate that has survived to this date and it's in a private collection in England. To boost his earnings, he started painting in sepia watercolors and would later be part of exhibitions to help raise his repute. One of his artwork pieces was sent to the Royal Academy and was hung in 1811. Martin later produced several artwork pieces that captured a number of subjects, including landscapes and Biblical themes that were mainly drawn from the Old Testament. Several art critics have praised his deep knowledge of the Old Testament. Martin’s promising artistic career was however adversely affected by the passing away of his grandmother, mother, father, and young son in the same year. Despite the numerous drawbacks, he continued creating art. Martin was mainly inspired by the works of John Milton. He would later gain fame through his "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon," an artwork that was considered subversive of the conventional artistic rules of composition. His "Belshazzar's Feast" painting became a major hit that attracted 5,000 who paid to see it. He also created several illustrations and engravings with some of them being commissions from different entities.