Enchanted Castle

Toward the end of his life, John Martin created The Enchanted Castle and dedicated it to his colleague and friend Wood, as the inscription in the bottom left corner suggests. This watercolor shows a mysterious ruined castle on top of a small hill, half cast in darkness by the shadow of large oak trees. An enigmatic figure lies draped over a large rock toward the bottom of the hill. Light permeates through the row of trees, but otherwise the scene is shrouded in darkness, lending a sense of foreboding (2022).