The Valley of the Tyne, My Native Country near Henshaw

1842

The Valley of the Tyne, My Native Country near Henshaw, 1842. John Martin (British, 1789–1854). Watercolor, gouache and gum arabic with graphite underdrawing, sanding, and scraping; sheet: 26.6 x 67.5 cm (10 1/2 x 26 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1997.138 Panoramic landscapes in watercolor became an important source of income during John Martin’s late career. This work demonstrates his ability to convey monumentality on a small scale and to combine broad washes of color with meticulous detail. The sweeping vista in this drawing describes the fertile valley of the River Tyne, known for its forests, flora, and fauna. Curving arcs of slopes and plains swirl around the composition. A tiny couple and dog rush through the vast landscape beneath ominous storm clouds. The setting of this watercolor is John Martin's native Northumberland, to which he was deeply attached and described having spent time there "exulting in the sublime grandeur of the surrounding beauties of nature."