Sunday, May 8, 2011

Henry Fuseli (February 7, 1741 – April 17, 1825)

                                                                                                                       
The Nightmare
1781

Fuseli created one of the most recognizable paintings of the Romanticist movement: the above featured The Nightmare. It's a famous piece, or rather one version of it, that neatly sums up the whole of Romanticism on one canvas. Fuseli, of course, created many memorable works, though none that have reached the level of cultural ubiquity that The Nightmare has (though that could also be said of many great artists' complete portfolios). His influence was vast, affecting such geniuses as Blake

Thor, in the boat of Hymir, battering the Midgard Serpent
1790

Lady Macbeth
1784

The Night-Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches
1796

Silence
1799-1801

The Shepherd's Dream
1793 

The Debutante
1807

2 comments:

  1. Both The Nightmare and Thor are currently in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. When I walked past The Nightmare, it definitely stood out, probably because it's in just about every art history textbook out there.

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  2. montejo, that's pretty interesting. I never one of The Nightmares was housed in Houston. Thanks for sharing. Have to head over and visit that museum one of these days.

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