ARTHI 6C Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Henry Fuseli, Voyeurism, Denis Diderot
12 April 2018
Empire-2.2 Romanticism and Orientalism
● Henry Fuseli (Swiss 1741-1825): The Nightmare, 1781; Oil on Canvas
○ Open to multiple interpretations
○ Not drawn from history, literature, or bible
○ Is a poduct of the atist’s iagiatio
○ Visual Analysis/Interpretation: startling composition, woman is bathed in white
light, stetchig as if she’s sleepig; ape like figue is sittig o he chest, hose
emerges from the darkness;
■ Allegory for the nightmare of colonization in the sense of the colors of
the figures-the darkness of otherness; sitting straight on top of her body
as if it’s coueig he fo seual subissio; iatioal ape of a hite
woman
■ The horse with glowing eyes-entirely black; contrast to pureness which
is often depicted using the color white
■ the figure on her chest is called an incubus-someone with features that
are non-European
○ Artist is the product of their own era
● Romanticism Characteristics:
○ Spectacular lighting and effect of light (shadow, darkness)
○ Big emotions-horror, triumph
○ Dramatic settings: many life or death moments, beyond human control
○ Eroticism and privacy: voyeuristic, keen interest in the female body
○ Began as a literary movement, which influenced visual arts
○ Strong emphasis on imagination and emotion, a rejection of the disillusionment
with the Age of Reason (the Enlightenment)
○ Shaped by students of Jacques-Louis David
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Document Summary
Henry fuseli (swiss 1741-1825): the nightmare, 1781; oil on canvas. Not drawn from history, literature, or bible. Visual analysis/interpretation: startling composition, woman is bathed in white light, st(cid:325)etchi(cid:290)g as if she"s sleepi(cid:290)g; ape like figu(cid:325)e is sitti(cid:290)g o(cid:290) he(cid:325) chest, ho(cid:325)se. Is a p(cid:325)oduct of the a(cid:325)tist"s i(cid:289)agi(cid:290)atio(cid:290) emerges from the darkness; The horse with glowing eyes-entirely black; contrast to pureness which is often depicted using the color white the figure on her chest is called an incubus-someone with features that are non-european. Artist is the product of their own era. Spectacular lighting and effect of light (shadow, darkness) Dramatic settings: many life or death moments, beyond human control. Eroticism and privacy: voyeuristic, keen interest in the female body. Began as a literary movement, which influenced visual arts. Strong emphasis on imagination and emotion, a rejection of the disillusionment with the age of reason (the enlightenment)
