Anatomy of an artworkArt This article is more than 6 years oldJohn Martin’s Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion: man against nature
This article is more than 6 years oldThe English Romantic painter mastered the large scale imposing landscape with tiny figures and vertiginous perspective
The great outdoors…
It is man against nature in this career-changing 1812 painting by the Victorian master of disaster, John Martin. In what would become his signature formula of pumped-up Romanticism, the figure is tiny, the surrounding world vast, its light blood-tinged and the perspective vertiginous.
Dark water…
The title suggests something suicidal, though in the adventure story it’s derived from, “the waters” are a kind of proto-Rohypnol, which a villainous sultan intends to use on Sadak’s wife.
The bigger picture…
Martin started out painting plates, among other things. This was the first of his really big works. It was purchased by a Bank of England governor and kickstarted his career, paving the way for all manner of massive landscapes.
Apocalypse wow…
Martin’s paintings of apocalypse are a forerunner of disaster movies, fantasy artwork et al. Their maker became a consummate showman, creating touring “masterpieces” that the masses paid an entrance fee to see.
Part of The Land We Live In – The Land We Left Behind, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Bruton, to 7 May
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