The Great Day of His Wrath, John Martin

Oil on canvas, roughly 77 x 120 inches (197 x 303 cm); link is to zoomable image on the Google Art Project; downloadable version on Wikimedia Commons, original is in the Tate.

This large painting by the 19th century painter John Martin — who was known for his depictions of monumental and cataclysmic events — is part of a tryptic sometimes known as the “Judgement Series”, along with The Last Judgement and The Plains of Heaven.

It might just as well be interpreted to depict nature’s wrath on a day that sees millions striking for action on climate change, and young people taking the role of the “adults in the room” — reminding us of the folly of turning a blind eye the contribution of human activity to this emergency for the sake of corporate profit.

The Camp Meeting, Worthington Whittredge, oil on canvas, roughly 16 x 40inches (40 x 103 cm); in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has both a zoomable and downloadable version of the image.

What I love most about this immersive, panoramic painting by Hudson River School artist Worthington Whittredge is his use of contrasts of dark against light and light against dark as your eye moves across the image.

My image crops do not give you the effect of the painting’s scope; take the trouble to go the the Met’s site and view it full screen.