The Nightmare Henry (Fussli Fuseli (1741-1825)
Henry (Fussli Fuseli – The Nightmare
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Painter: Henry (Fussli Fuseli
Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit.
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"Nightmare" is a famous painting by the master of horror, an artist who anticipated the art of his time, Henry Füssli. Grim and grotesque, it terrified and provoked a storm of reactions from the public. Critics attribute it to the outburst of the unconscious, in which dream and horror are intertwined into a single whole. Not for nothing, the painting was in the waiting room of the famous Dr. Freud, who paid much attention to the interpretation of dreams. The painting depicts a girl lying on a bed.
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Description of Henry Füssli’s painting Nightmare
"Nightmare" is a famous painting by the master of horror, an artist who anticipated the art of his time, Henry Füssli. Grim and grotesque, it terrified and provoked a storm of reactions from the public. Critics attribute it to the outburst of the unconscious, in which dream and horror are intertwined into a single whole. Not for nothing, the painting was in the waiting room of the famous Dr. Freud, who paid much attention to the interpretation of dreams.
The painting depicts a girl lying on a bed. It’s hard to tell if she’s asleep or in a deep sense of fainting. Her body is elongated and gracefully curved, which once again emphasizes the heaviness and absurdity of the demon perched upon her belly.
The head of a black horse with whitish, frightening eyes appears from behind the curtains. This image provides a reference to demonic possession, a desire for a mythological plot characteristic of the late Romantic era.
The snow-white body, exquisitely painted fabric of the nightgown, tapestries, and bedspread contrasts with the heavy dark background, which accentuates the victim’s helplessness, the suffocating wave of approaching terror. Art historians continue to debate whether the demon’s mastery has sexual overtones.
Despite the outright gloomy mood of the canvas it is still poetic, masterfully painted in light and shade, the transitions of tones, and the flowing softness of fabric. The work’s geometry is based on smooth curves and rounded forms. One can feel the impeccable sense of style of Venetian painting.
Obviously, the artist was also inspired by Gothic literature, Germanic legends of unclean powers and the works of the great Michelangelo. The painting is a bizarre mixture of nightmare, sensuality and eroticism. This technique is a red thread running through Füssli’s entire oeuvre. The masterpiece is in the public domain of the Detroit Art Institute.
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A dark, humanoid figure looms over her, its arms wrapped around her torso in a suffocating embrace. This being’s face is obscured by a large, indistinct creature – a grotesque amalgamation of animalistic features, possibly an incubus or demonic entity. The positioning of this creature atop the womans chest reinforces the sense of entrapment and psychological torment.
The background is shrouded in heavy, crimson drapery, which contributes to the claustrophobic atmosphere. A small table stands nearby, bearing a few scattered objects – a bottle, a mirror, and what appears to be a small box – which seem insignificant against the larger drama unfolding. The lighting is theatrical, highlighting the figures while leaving much of the scene in shadow, intensifying the feeling of unease and mystery.
Subtly, the painting explores themes of psychological distress, vulnerability, and the intrusion of the subconscious into waking life. The woman’s posture and expression suggest a state of paralysis – a helplessness in the face of an overwhelming fear. The dark figure and its monstrous companion can be interpreted as manifestations of internal anxieties or repressed desires. The use of color – the stark white against the deep reds – evokes feelings of dread, passion, and perhaps even shame.
The composition’s dramatic diagonal lines create a sense of instability and disorientation, mirroring the womans disturbed mental state. It is not merely a depiction of a dream but rather an exploration of the darker recesses of human experience – the anxieties that haunt us when we are most vulnerable.