The Haunted Eighteenth Century: Fuseli’s “The Nightmare”

Interesting online lecture from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in their Georgian Provocations series focusing on “The Nightmare” by Henry Fuseli.

Martin Myrone, Head of Grants at Paul Mellon Centre and previously at Tate Britain, took us though the imagery in the painting and its reception at the time it was shown at the Royal Academy show of 1782.

He looked at how quickly prints became available and it was copied by other artists. It was soon used by satirists and has become a cultural icon even to the present day. He explained how this was despite the fact the picture was in private ownership and not on view until the mid-20th century. Its fame was spread by via the prints and puns.

The talk was followed by a lively Q&A session which brought up more interesting ideas such as whether the simplicity of the image allowed it to be lampooned easily, who owned it and why and how its vagueness has allowed for many interpretations.

 

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