Henry Fuseli Oil Painting Reproductions

From Switzerland to the Royal Academy of London

Henry Fuseli was a Swiss artist who spent most of his career working in Britain. ¹ Born Johann Heinrich Füssli, he traveled to Italy in 1770, stayed there until 1778, and changed his name to sound more Italian. ¹ He did not begin painting with oil paints until he was 25 years old. ¹ He decided to focus completely on art after receiving advice from Sir Joshua Reynolds. ¹

Fuseli favored the supernatural in his paintings and believed that historical paintings required some exaggeration. ¹ Many of Fuseli's most successful paintings show supernatural events. ¹ He became a full academician in 1790 and presented a painting of Thor as his diploma work. ¹ Fuseli served as both a Professor of Painting and a Keeper at the Royal Academy. ¹ His dramatic, expressive style had a major influence on younger British artists like William Blake. ¹

The Gothic Terror of The Nightmare

The search for the perfect Gothic centerpiece often leads collectors to the Detroit Institute of Arts, where Fuseli's famous 1781 painting, The Nightmare, is kept. ¹ This masterpiece became Fuseli's first major commercial success after it was shown in London in 1782. ² The painting is unusual for Fuseli because it does not refer to any religious or literary stories. ² Instead, the nightmare henry fuseli depicts a sleeping woman with a demon-like creature sitting on her chest. ²

This haunting image of sleep paralysis struck a deep chord with the public. A version of The Nightmare was displayed in the home of Fuseli's publisher, Joseph Johnson. ² The image likely inspired a famous scene in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein. ² The most important alternative version of The Nightmare was painted around 1790 and is located in Frankfurt. ²

Shakespearean Drama and Epic Poetry

Beyond his dreamscapes, Fuseli created paintings for John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery and his own Milton Gallery. ¹ He exhibited 47 large paintings based on the works of John Milton in 1799, but the show was a financial failure. ¹ He was later elected to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1817. ¹ Fuseli created more than 200 paintings but only chose to exhibit a few of them. ¹ He never painted landscapes and only completed two portraits during his life. ¹

If you love theatrical tension, consider Macbeth', Act I, Scene 3, the Weird Sisters, which captures the eerie prophecy of Shakespeare's witches. For a softer, more fantastical scene, The Meeting of Sir Hüon of Bordeaux and Scherasmin in the Libanon Cave, from Wieland’s Oberon offers a wonderful entry point into his narrative style.

Choosing Your Fuseli Canvas for Your Wall

When bringing these dramatic works into your home, consider the mood of your room. Our studio artists recreate these masterpieces brushstroke by brushstroke in hand-painted oil on museum-grade linen. Prices in this collection run from $299.95, by size. Seven sizes are listed for each work; any size, including the original's proportion, can be ordered through the custom-order page.

If you are building a collection of dramatic, emotional art, you can explore our Romanticism style reproductions. You might also enjoy the expressive brushwork of other masters of the era, such as our Francisco Goya collection or the atmospheric light found in our J.M.W. Turner reproductions. For those seeking the most recognized images in art history, The Nightmare also features on our curated list of the world's most famous paintings and our one hundred most famous canvases of all time. Choose the size that fits your wall, and let Fuseli's powerful imagination transform your space.

Sources

1. en.wikipedia.org
2. en.wikipedia.org