John martin - painting the apocolypse

What do you think of apocolyptic art?  who is John Martin?

 A very close family friend of mine pointed me in the direction of John Martin a popular artist from the 19th century, and i was like "who?" apparently there showing an exhibition of his work in sheffield, thanks for telling me, If only I lived up north.

Apparently this artists work inspired sci fi movies and heavy metal album covers, but his work was snubbed by the art establishment of his day, well I think his work is cool.

My friend told me that,

I plan to get over there, as I like the style, which I first came across at Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, then saw some more at the Reina Sofia and got hooked.

he also gave me a link to the article John Martin painting the apocalypse here is an extract.

John Martin was one of the most popular artists of the 19th Century. So why have most people never heard of him?
If ever there was an artist whose reputation deserves restoration, it’s John Martin (1789–1854). Described by The Times as ‘the painter with the power to stop even a bored teenager in his gallery-traipsing tracks’, Martin’s dramatic images have inspired everything over the years from sci-fi films to heavy metal album covers. Yet, compared to contemporaries like Constable and Turner, he was largely snubbed by the art establishment of his day – John Ruskin was a particularly vocal critic! Instead, Martin developed his audience from the grass roots – relying on an eye for enthralling subjects and tireless touring of his paintings to build his popularity.