John Martin (1789–1854) was a British painter, engraver, and illustrator famed for vast, theatrical visions of the sublime—towering architecture, epic landscapes, and scenes of catastrophe and revelation. Born in Northumberland, he moved to London and built a career that blended fine art with mass visual culture through widely circulated prints. Martin’s signature style used dramatic light, sweeping perspectives, and monumental scale to make viewers feel small before nature, history, and divine judgment. He exhibited in major London venues and reached an unusually broad audience for his time, helped by engravings that carried his imagery into homes across Britain and beyond. His illustrations for literary and biblical subjects further amplified his reputation, shaping how 19th-century audiences imagined grand, apocalyptic narratives. Though some critics dismissed his work as sensational, his influence proved durable: his “cinematic” compositions anticipate modern fantasy art, concept design, and blockbuster spectacle. Martin also had a systems-minded curiosity about the modern world, proposing ambitious civic and engineering ideas alongside his art. Today he is widely remembered as a master of awe—an artist who turned landscape and architecture into pure drama.