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The Nightmare

The Nightmare
(1781)

(Detroit Institute of Art)

Swiss-born Henry Fuseli [born Johann Heinrich Füssli] (1741-1825) did most of his work in England and is considered one of the major artistic figures of the Romantic movement. Horror and fantasy--most definitely elements of the non-rational--fascinated him.

One critic describes "The Nightmare (The Incubus)" as "[a]n unforgettable image of a woman in the throes of a violently erotic dream," and notes how it "shows how far ahead of his time Fuseli was in exploring the murky areas of the psyche where sex and fear meet" (WebMuseum).

 

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