Paul Martin

Paul Martin was born in Bournemouth in 1948, and grew up in Rugby, England. He studied art first at Coventry Art College and then at the art college in Birmingham. In 1968 he met Professor H.R. Rookmaaker, who stimulated his thinking about the relationship between faith and art. He went on to the Royal Academy, where he met with more appreciation for figurative art. In the 1970’s and 80’s he struggled to get away from a naturalistic style, especially with regard to the human form, and discovered new possibilities through the work of Balthus and Beckmann. He found the iconic approach a helpful way to express controlled emotion. His work was also strongly influenced by medieval frescoes. In the 1990’s Martin painted many icons for the Orthodox church of which he is a member, and his more recent work has moved more into abstraction. Martin taught for many years at Rugby School in England, and then at Leith College of Art in Edinburgh. He currently lives with his wife near Edinburgh.