Page of Manfred and the Alpine Witch by MARTIN, John in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European paintings and sculptures (1100-1850)

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Manfred and the Alpine Witch

1837
Watercolour, 388 x 558 mm
Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester

In this painting Martin turned to a literary theme: the poem by Lord Byron in which Manfred is condemned to eternal life without sleep. He calls upon the witch to find peace, but she demands his soul, and so he dismisses her. The drama of the contents is projected onto the natural forms, in a technique that would become a favourite with the Romantic artists as a means of expressing emotion. The practice would continue for decades.