36 ON THE GENIUS OF JOHN MARTIN. 



there they blaze in all their supernatural glory upon that impious 

 regal board, whilst all around, save one, are suddenly struck with 

 dreadful fear, terror, and dismay, and the attitude of every single 

 figure in the picture, is made, more or less, to express this one 

 general feeling throughout the whole of that vast assembly. 



In Joshua commanding the Sun to stand still there is the same 

 general concentration of design towards one great and mighty 

 effect. Had Joshua stood alone on the wide plain without the 

 city, all the effect would have centered in his attitude and bearing, 

 and a total failure in the general end would, and must, have been 

 the result even had the figure of Joshua been done by Etty, 

 or Hay don, who, as we shall show presently, are far superior to 

 Martin in the figurative department of their art. But, in the 

 picture, Joshua does not stand alone he is at the head of a 

 mighty host, who stand fearfully watching the event of the Sun 

 standing still upon Gideon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon. 

 Combining still to render the effect more imposing, there is a 

 mighty tempest and whirlwind of the elements introduced, and 

 the distant city seems to stand in awful solitude during the 

 mysterious hours of that awful phenomenon of nature. 



Again, if we examine attentively the K/// <>/ Nineveh, we shall 

 find that the artist had abundant scope afforded him of concen- 

 trating many mighty conflicting passions into one general and 

 great effect. The feelings which this painting depicts are of a 

 more varied and conflicting nature, than in any other painted by 

 this artist a circumstance, which has been unaccountably lost 

 sight of by those who have attempted to descant critically upon 

 it. The time represented is at the siege and sacking of a mighty 

 city : there existed therefore no positive necessity for introducing 

 any crash or conflict of the elements, the mighty warfare around, 

 and within the city, would have been sufficient to concentrate the 

 entire effect of the picture in the spectator's mind. In the dis- 

 tance is seen the dim magnificence of Nineveh, stretching away 

 into almost boundless extent, and glaring and darkening beneath 

 the lightning and the sulphurous fires which are consuming it. 

 In the centre of the picture is represented the principal scene of 

 the assault of the besiegers : there is a wide breach made in the 

 city- wall, and the galleys of the enemy are seen rapidly approach- 

 ing. This prepares the spectator's mind for a scene of greater 

 effect still, such as is represented in the foreground of the picture, 

 where Sardanapalus, his wives and concubines, are seen lingering 

 awhile on the marble gallery, before they go to the vast funereal 



