John Martin, The Last Man (1849)

The great painter of the apocalyptic sublime, John Martin, produced earlier versions on the theme of "the last man"--including a study in 1826 (now lost) and a watercolor in c. 1832. But this oil painting (now in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool) dates from 1849 (see Feaver). The old man stands before what appears to be a vacant seaside town, the dark sun fades in front of him, and the funereal body of a woman lies behind him.