Galena, Illinois artist Harold Martin paints powerful scenes in a way that captivates both the spirit and imagination of the viewer. One look at Mr. Martin’s work and his technical mastery is immediately evident. The Dubuque Museum of Art was proud to present this major installation of Mr. Martin’s highly realistic paintings and drawings. The remarkable figures in these works are Martin’s friends and acquaintances; their experiences and personalities sometimes establish the subject of the paintings. Religious symbols are prevalent throughout but, unlike Symbolism, each symbolic object does not always provide insight into some mysterious hidden meaning, instead the objects work together aesthetically to complete the work – more akin to the visual language of a modern day Hieronymus Bosch. Harold Martin graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago. He worked with the Leo Burnette and J. Walter Thompson advertising agencies for 25 years before answering his true calling as a painter.

Image: Harold Martin, My Four Masks, 2004, acrylic on panel, 30 1/2×48 1/2 in., collection of the artist