The Bible's Book of Genesis describes how God, angered at the wickedness of humanity, causes it to rain for 40 days and nights until a flood covers the earth. Before calling down the waters, however, God decides to spare the virtuous Noah and his family, commanding them to build an ark and gather into it two of every species.
In the 19th century, British artist John Martin created three colossal canvases on the theme of the biblical deluge. Conceived as a narrative series but never shown together publicly, the three works are united in the exhibit "John Martin: Visions of the Biblical Flood," which will be on view at the Yale Center for British Art Sept. 17-
Nov. 30.
The exhibit brings together Martin's "The Deluge," an 1834 work that is part of the Yale museum's permanent collection, with "The Eve of the Deluge" and "The Assuaging of the Waters," both of which were exhibited at the Royal Academy of London in 1840. The former work is part of the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the latter is from the collection of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, which organized the show.
John Martin (1789-1854) is best known for his scenes of cataclysm, drawn largely from the Bible, as well as for his huge canvases, which are filled with tumultuous action. "The Deluge," the centerpiece of the triptych, is over eight feet wide, while its two counterparts measure over seven feet.
"The Cecil B. De Mille of the 19th century, John Martin epitomizes the romantic artist's aspiration for the sublime," says Patrick McCaughey, director of the Yale Center for British Art, adding that the exhibit marks the "only time that these three paintings will be shown together on the East Coast."
Among the programs scheduled in conjunction with the exhibit is a lecture at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, by Morton D. Paley, professor of English at the University of California at Berkeley and a widely published author on British poetry and art of the Romantic period. The talk is free and open to the public.
The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St. It is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and the building is wheelchair-accessible. For further information, call 432-2800, or visit the museum's World Wide Web site at www.yale.edu/ycba.