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John Martin - apocalyptic prophetic painter
Visionary, eccentric, populist and epic, John Martin was a controversial but key figure in nineteenth century art. Like his canvases, this wildly dramatic artist with his visions of heaven and hell, was larger than life.
 This is the first major exhibition dedicated to Martin's work in over 30 years. The exhibition has travelled around the country, starting in Newcastle in Martin's native north-east, and coming to London via such places as Sheffield. It brings together his most famous paintings of apocalyptic destruction and biblical disaster from collections around the world, as well as previously unseen and newly-restored works.
Hugely popular in his time, Martin was derided by the Victorian Art establishment as a 'people's painter', for although he excited mass audiences with his astounding scenes of judgement and damnation, to critics it was distasteful. Wherever his pictures were shown, it was a huge media event - thousands would clamour to see the huge paintings, often accompanied by smoke, music and narration. In a sense ahead of this time, his paintings - full of rugged landscapes and grandiose theatrical spectacle - have an enduring influence on today's cinematic and digital fantasy landscapes.
This exhibition presents a spectacular vision, capturing the full drama and impact of John Martin's paintings as they were originally displayed. Just as in the nineteenth century, these epic and often astounding works must be seen to be believed.
John Martin's work can be especially appreciated by Bible believing people, as some of the most powerful of Martin's visions are direct interpretations of particularly calamitous scenes and defining moments from the scriptures.
 Transformation Thurrock spoke with landscape and portrait artist Malcolm Mackinnon who has been greatly influenced by John Martin from his late teens. Malcolm and his wife Donna have recently moved to Felton, California, where Malc has taken up an associate pastoral post at a Baptist church (see left). Malc is originally from Grays and came to faith in Christ in 1985 at meeting at Grays Salvation Army. For a number of years he attended Grays Pentecostal Church, when it was at the building in Bridge Road (now RCCG Spring of Life). He would spend his summers either in Newquay, Cornwall, or Tenerife, as a portrait sketcher and painter, until the mid-90s when he went to Moorlands Bible College in Dorset, where he was a contemporary with Rev Alex Gowing-Cumber (All Saints, Chafford Hundred), Rev Ashely Lovett (Socketts Heath Baptist Church) and Gareth Marsh (worship leader at Grays Baptist Church).  Malc was minister at Over Baptist Church in Cambs., for a number of years before entering into proof reading at an international law firm in London, continuing his ministry through schools' work and itinerant preaching, while based at West Thurrock Chapel. He and Donna married in 2007 - she is a teacher and worked at Little Thurrock Primary School, where Malc went as a child! In August this year, Malc, TT's Tim Harrold and his film-making son Jonny, drove up to Sheffield to see the John Martin 'Apocalypse' exhibition that is now at the Tate Britain (see Malc and Jonny right).
TT: Who was John Martin? When and where was he born?
MM: Martin was born in July 1789, in a one-room family cottage, at Haydon Bridge, near Hexham in Northumberland.
TT: Why did he use the Apocalypse and other Biblical scenes as an inspiration for his paintings?
MM: I guess that they were the scenes that most grabbed his attention and also the subject matter that hadn't been attempted on such a scale before.
TT: How was Martin's art received in its day?
MM: Not well by the critics although the public were impressed by his vision and the scale of what he was doing. One criticism was that his pictures were over-sensationalist and too huge in their scope, but those were exactly the things that made the pictures so stimulating for so many people.
TT: What would you say is the immediate impact of seeing one of Martin's pieces?
MM: There's a definite "Wow!" factor. It's quite awe-inspiring, even today, to see his pictures so it must have been astonishing to see pictures of this scale and theme in the mid-1800s.
 TT: Why do you like Martin's paintings?
MM: I love them as visually stunning pictures and I love the fact that he wasn't scared to take on images such as the end of the world, the Last Judgment and the Plains of Heaven.
TT: How did seeing one of his art works for the first time affect you?
MM: I was stunned and puzzled that I'd never been aware of people painting like this, despite having studied Art History. It made the thought of judgment and God's wrath real. It made me wonder what his inspiration had been to paint such pictures. For me, it was a means of driving home Biblical and apocalyptic themes in a way that I'd never before received.
TT:. Do you think this experience played a part in your own journey to faith in Christ?
MM: Definitely. Seeing the pictures as a 19-year old, they stayed with me and made me think seriously about Heaven and judgment, probably for the first time.
TT:. There is an exhibition of his works at the Tate Britain in London at the moment called 'Apocalypse'. Would you recommend people go to see this?
MM: Yes indeed, although everyone's taste is different. One Christian girl I know said she wouldn't go because she hates this type of work. Personally, I think it's a must-see. I couldn't think of another exhibition that I'd recommend above this one.
TT: Of Martin's works, which are your favourites, and why?
MM: I love the ones in which he completely relies on his imagination and courage to tackle subjects that no-one else had ever done. There are so many but I particularly love "The Plains of Heaven" (detail, below right) and "The Great Day of His Wrath" (detail, right). These were two of the three that I originally saw as a 19-year old.
TT: Do you think that seeing Martin's pieces can affect one's understanding of the Gospel?
MM: Yes. It certainly did for me. Seeing his pictures probably won't give you a full idea of the concepts of grace and salvation, but they will definitely provoke interest in the power of God and things to do with the end of the earth.
TT:. Would you say that this 19th century classical-styled artist's work is relevant to today's audience? In what ways?
 MM: Ooh yes. Because his work was so dramatic and allowed the viewer to visualise what could only previously be imagined, Martin is often described as a huge influence on the entire concept of cinema. His work had a massive effect on the films of D.W. Griffiths and Cecil B. DeMille, both of whom operated in the genre of massive visual epics. Martin's influence probably lessened as the interest in epic movies fell away. But there seems to be a resurgence of interest in both large-scale films (with an ever-growing reliance on CGI special effects) and therefore Martin's pioneering of the whole sublime movement. (See video with Hollywood special effects' designer Ray Harryhausen below.)
TT: What became of John Martyn? Does his work continue to influence you and how?
MM: He died - on the Isle of Man on February 17th,1854, and is buried in Kirk Braddan cemetery - soon after completing the three great pictures which formed the series depicting the scenes of the Last Judgment. The drama and spectacle of his work still impress me, and I'm still hugely inspired by whatever it was that gave him the guts to paint scenes like these in the first place. I don't think that any artist before or since has conveyed such a graphic interpretation of scenes to do with the end of the world and the afterlife.
TT: Many thanks for your insights, Malc, and all blessings in Christ from the Christians in Thurrock to you, Donna and the believers in Felton!
John Martin & Malc Mackinnon links
biog:
- http://www.wojm.org.uk/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Martin_(painter)
 exhibition:
- http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/johnmartin/default.shtm?gclid=CPLLnKC-96sCFXFItAodASmGOQ
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/sep/08/john-martin-painting-the-apocalypse
- http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n20/peter-campbell/at-tate-britain
- http://londonist.com/2011/09/john-martin-apocalypse-tate-britain.php
art:
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039467/John-Martin-Destruction-Pompeii-painting-restored-Tate-Britain-exhibition.html
- http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=371&page=1
- http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pd/j/john_martin,_the_fall_of_babyl.aspx
video inspired by Martin's apocalyptic paintings:
- http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/johnmartin/default.shtm?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Oct_1_London%20(1)&utm_content=
- OR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=814ll2oPevo
videos:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9FlHP9KWY8 - TateShots: Ray Harryhausen on John Martin
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsvwi0cVOq0 - Paintings of the Sublime - Martin, Turner, Friedrich and others set to music
 books:
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Martin-Apocalypse-Myrone/dp/1854378899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319121842&sr=1-1
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Martin-Sketches-My-Life/dp/1854379283/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319121916&sr=1-2
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Martin-Apocalypse-Barbara-Morden/dp/1904794998/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319121939&sr=1-7
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prometheans-Martin-Generation-Stole-Future/dp/1849161739/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319121975&sr=1-11
Hear Malc preaching on 'Power to be Witnesses' at First Baptist Church of San Lorenzo Valley here:
- http://www.slvbaptist.org/sermons/misc/100911%20Power%20to%20Be%20Witnesses.mp3
- http://www.slvbaptist.org/ - the church's website
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Malcolm Mackinnon, 27/10/2011 |
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