John Martin

John Martin was an artist active across the first three decades of the 19th century, with his documented creative period spanning from 1800 to 1831. His body of work, as represented in major American institutions, includes both original paintings and numerous graphic works. A total of 8 John Martin prints, 5 drawings, and 2 John Martin paintings are held in museum collections, confirming his technical skill across various media.

Martin specialized in dramatic historical and landscape compositions. The scale and intensity of his subject matter are evident in known works such as Ruins of an Ancient City, Landscape with a Ruined Castle, and the monumental religious composition Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon. A version of this work, Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still Upon Gibeon (Joshua: 10: 12–14), is documented among his prints. Another work, Scene from Opera, demonstrates his engagement with narrative and theatrical subjects.

The historical importance of his output is confirmed by the collections that hold his pieces, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art. These museum-quality works serve as key references for early 19th-century art. Today, high-quality prints derived from his major pieces often enter the public domain, ensuring the widespread availability of his dramatic imagery.