Henry was born in Switzerland, but as he went through life,
he moved to England and settled there.
He was primarily self-taught, and he eventually became a member and
instructor at the Royal Academy in England. Most of his works were an
expression of his endless imagination and focused on horror, dark fantasies,
and the sadistic as is the case in The
Nightmare. In this piece, a limp woman is preyed on by an incubus which in
medieval times were considered demons who made sexual prey of women. Fuseli is
often times accredited with being one of the first artists to translate and
replicate the dark side of the human subconscious.
This painting is a clear fit for this exhibit.
The woman is pacified or seduced by evil macabre. This state of consciousness,
or lack thereof, is a cousin to death. In fact, were it not for her heart
beating and lungs breathing she would be dead. However, this statement could be
said about any living entity, but the difference is that this woman is not
conscious since she is completely subdued. This work is intended to remind the
audience how close sleep, or any other state with little to no consciousness,
is to death. Perhaps death is like falling asleep, and everyday people wake up
only to dream.
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