By, Candice Krieger
1 min read
ByCandice Krieger, Candice Krieger
Artist John Martin has been selected to participate in the Lloyds TSB The Art of Sport programme.
The programme, organised by the banking group, supports a series of art exhibitions and auctions which will showcase the work of British artists in the run-up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Mr Martin, now in his 60s, turned to art after a career in PR. He tells People: "Harking back to my school days where art was the only subject that truly excited me, I suddenly felt an urgent need to develop any latent talent." He studied portrait painting in Florence.
He was one of 24 artists to be selected for scheme, which gives him the chance to paint athletes. "I am interested in the emotional aspects of sport. A few years back I was struck by the drama of the moment when Frank Lampard converted a penalty in the Champions League shortly after his mother's death, and I recorded this in a painting called Ecstasy.
"I decided to paint a companion piece called Agony, as Chelsea were later defeated in a penalty shootout in the same competition. I chose two figures to depict the despair - John Terry and Avram Grant. Little did I realise that two years later the painting would be even more topical as both of them have suffered a great deal of agony in recent times."
He has exhibited at the Canadian High Commission in London and will soon be exhibiting at Heathrow Terminal 5.
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