John Martin, The Great Day of His Wrath

Tate Gallery, London

Date: 1851-53
Technique: Oil on canvas, 1965 x 3032 mm

This painting forms part of a triptych of ‘judgement pictures’ inspired by the description of the Last Judgement in the final book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation. In The Great Day of His Wrath, Martin’s apocalyptic vision closely follows the Biblical account: there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood. And the heaven departed as a scroll... and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. The earth crashes in on itself, underlining the futility of mankind’s attempts to resist the will of God.

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