Johann Heinrich Füssli (Johann Heinrich Fusely; 1741–1825) — a Swiss artist who was particularly successful while living in England, where he created most of his unique paintings, reminiscent of a nightmare, thoroughly flavored with various sensory visions.
The Shepherd's Dream, from 'Paradise Lost'
He was even called an early founder of Romanticism. But gradually Fuseli began to be remembered less and less, and there were good reasons for that. Critics noted his weakness as an artist: the compositions, although refined, were often not very well thought out, the poses of the characters were contrived and theatrical, the color palette was poor.
His paintings stood out from the general series only by the originality of the image and the presence of a nude model, which invariably attracted increased attention in strict English society. But his work is still interesting, it is no coincidence that in recent years quite a lot has been said and written about the artist. His paintings are ideal for the online format, where unusualness is often valued much higher than impeccable technical execution.
Titania and Bottom
Fuseli was born in Zurich, Switzerland, his father worked as an artist and painted portraits, but despite the fact that little Heinrich showed talent for painting from childhood, he was destined for a spiritual path and entered the theological faculty of the University of Zurich. However, at the age of 21, Fuseli wrote a brochure in which he ridiculed the caretaker of the local magistrate.
She caused considerable discontent, fearing revenge and possible imprisonment on some trumped-up charge, Fuseli moved to Germany, and then via Paris to London. At first, he earned money by translating English and German books, fortunately he knew the languages well, was literate and, for better or worse, knew how to express his thoughts on paper, but they didn’t pay much for translations.
Mad kate
Luckily for Fuseli, he met the famous English artist Joshua Reynolds. He advised him not to waste time on translations, but to try his luck in painting. There was no proper school in England, and the easy-going Fuseli went to Italy, where he studied the works of the old masters and learned to paint himself.
Fuseli returned to England already as an artist, perhaps not particularly gifted, but one who knew exactly what was needed for success with the English public. Why paint mythological and religious subjects that have been played out hundreds of times, or the same type of portraits, often interesting only to the person they were painted from, if you can turn to the hitherto untrodden theme of nightmares and night dreams, adding a fair amount of eroticism for good measure.
Nightmare
The most famous series of Fuseli's paintings is "Nightmare", where Fuseli depicted an incubus sitting on a beautiful woman. As is known, an incubus is a seducer demon who appears to women in their sleep and sends them various dreams, such as any decent English girl should be ashamed of. By the way, in those times when premarital intimacy was considered something completely unacceptable, such exciting dreams were considered exclusively the work of the devil.
Nightmare
His paintings were based on English Gothic and the ghost stories and horror stories that were very popular at the time. Fuseli's skills as an illustrator came in handy here: at one time, he even illustrated Shakespeare's works, which were also based on English folk tales. His series of paintings illustrating some of Milton's poems, such as "The Creation of Eve," is also well known.The Creation of Eve from Milton's Paradise Lost, 1793
Almost all of his paintings resemble dreams or nightmares painted on canvas, often quite frivolous. They often depict non-existent creatures, and the figures of people are emphatically massive and grotesque, with a clearly expressed corporeality. It is believed that this is an imitation of Michelangelo and the influence of the Italian school of painting.
The Night-Hag visiting the Lapland Witches, 1796
Fuseli was often mistaken for a madman, but this was a mistaken impression based only on his strange paintings. In everyday life, he was a clever and charming man, easily making the right connections and successfully climbing the career ladder. Thus, he became a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, 11 years later - its professor, and finally, the keeper, that is, in fact, the director. He left painting and concentrated on literature, in particular, he published the fundamental "500 lectures on artists".
Henry Fuseli, 1778. Portrait by James Northcote.
And immodest Freudian paintings are just fun and a way to make money, an opportunity to succeed in a country where frivolous fantasies are allowed only in dreams, and even then with great reservations.
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