The Experiments of Henri Fuseli

The Experiments of Henri Fuseli

Henry Fuseli is quite the interesting artist. He was active as an artist between 1750s and 1820s. His style is that of Romanticism. For those that do not know (or care) romanticism came about as a challenge to the Enlightenment. While the Enlighten noblemen where thinking that peace and prosperity laid inside the fumes of an industrial factory waste pipe the Romantics where thinking "yeah right". They hated how materialistic the world had become. Fuseli is of this lot. it is for  this reason that his art is so fantastic, so bizarre. Like monsters out of a nightmare. His innovations made him the most feared artist of his time. His work brought many erudite to his senses.




Anyhow, without further ado here some interesting. Phi Star Worthy Fuseli paintings. Top : Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus and the Ghost

Shakespeare is a common theme in the art of Fuseli. The first image shows The Ghost of Hamlet's father. He looks really epic in pose and function. The only source of light emanates from him. Here he is asking his son to avenge his death. We all know how that story of vengeance ended. Just like all the rest, every one dies The END. 5 star Rating for this Painting.

The nightmare Version 1

 A Proper name for this painting. Here we see a horse and fairy. During those days it was believed that evil manifested in the forms of animals. The dual nature of the horse makes it perfect for a Nightmare. In a regular dream he appears as a graceful animal. A perfect symbol of manliness. Seeing that this is a nightmare of a woman perhaps Fuseli seems to imply that there is a man in the life of this woman that is oppressing her. She might fear that at any moment he might go berserk on her. This is further reinforced by the male fairy. He too has a dual nature. At times male fairies are graceful but here he is crude monster. It is interesting how the male fairy looks at the viewer. What could it mean?

The nightmare 1790-91

In version 2 all the attention of the monsters seems to be the woman. It might be that she is miscarrying. There was an odd legend or other that attributed miscarriage to the work of demons. Then again during those day EVERYTHING was the work of demons. Anyhow, Version 1 and 2 deserve 5 star rating. Still i prefer version 1 because the demon is looking at us. I bet that painting would give anyone nightmares if it was the main decoration of a bedroom.

The Fall of Satan

John Milton was quite popular during Fuseli's time. In the above image Milton with his harp observes Satan Falling. The style of Milton's poem is a reminiscence of the Iliad of Homer.  Satan was the main character of the beginning of Milton's poem. It is a different perceptive on evil. In the past everything focused on God. It seems that Milton was trying to understand what drove Satan to forsake God. Frankly I found the poem interesting until God came into the picture from them on Paradise Lost became another moralistic mombo jumbo. Frankly, what everyone wanted to see then and now is Satan. There has always been a strange morbid interest in the nature of evil . Anyhow... it is interesting how Fuseli shows the devil falling by making Milton the biggest character in the picture. He places him above and Satan bellow creating the impression of active falling. Anyhow... this drawing deserves 5 stars.

Tiresias appears to Ulysses during the Sacrificing

Now this is quite interesting. The knife used by Ulysses bears the resemblance of a cross. Then again he did sacrifice a lamb in order to summon The Blind Seer Tiresias. This scene is the most important scene of the Odyssey (aside from the end). Here Ulysses learns of his mother's death and the fate that has befallen his son and wife. With the help of this seer Ulysses was able to make some minor process or other in returning home (thought after this incident he was forced to take a 10 year detour in an island full of chicks). Anyhow, this painting deserves 5 star rating.

Ezzelin and Meduna

Lord Byron spent many hours wondering who the hell Ezzelin and Meduna were. So if you ask me who they where the answer lies is beyond my comprehension. They are fictional characters that Fusseli created for his painting. anyhow, the subject matter is the death of Ezzelin. Meduna is seems to be grieving over her. His grief is not that of a catastrophe stricken lover. Nope, He seems more like a guilty man meditation upon his own salvation. In a corner on can see a rosary, an open bible and an hourglass. The claymore behind him smells of death. By adding these symbols one can conclude that Meduna is praying (rosary) to god (the bible+cross) that his time in earth (hourglass) be taken away (by the sword). Perhaps he wishes to kill himself.

The Shepherd's Dream 1793

Now isn't this a lovely dream. Above we see four fairies hovering over the shepherd. It is quite the interesting pastoral dream. Quite creepy along along the edges. What this is about is beyond me. It has far too many odd references for me to make much sense. Perhaps he is mad or alone. Maybe he wishes to see a lady. 5 stars for Fuseli.

Lady Macbeth

The Lady Macbeth has quite the kill face. She really wanted to be queen. She plays a strong female role in the story of Macbeth. Macbeth led by superstition (or the prophecy of the 3 witches) was easily manipulated by his wife into killing his friend. In this scene Fuseli shows Macbeth cowering before his wife. She urges him forward.All he has to do i walk stealthily and slay his friend with two daggers (if you ask me one is more than enough to kill someone while they sleep). 5 stars. 

 

Lady Macbeth 2

The Narrative of Lady Macbeth continues. Truly she is a fascinating Shakespeare character. Now that she was queen she could not live with the guilt of the sins she had committed. It was thanks to her that Macbeth became a murderous monster. it is this sole thought that made lady Macbeth feel that she was responsible for all those that her husband killed. This guilt drove her to insanity. In this painting Lady Macbeth is walking blindly with a torch before her. She is trying to bring sanity back to her life but as Fuseli shows her mind lies in an ocean of darkness.

The Creation of Eve

The creation of Eve is truly quite interesting. The figure of God is quite creepy. She is holding up her hands in prayer to her creator. Adam lies in a reclined sleeping position. She truly does like she just came out of his side.  5 stars for this painting.

The Inquisition

This is another one of Fuseli's biblical themed paintings. In those days, the Inquisition although declining had taken a twisted turn for the worst in Spain. Intellectuals saw the Inquisition as a menacing shadow over process. Here the Inquisition lies menacing over classical art. She is bearing the torch of vengeance over classical art. Behind her the a church man cowards in fear. Truly the Inquisition is a fearsome enemy. 5 stars for the Inquisitor.

The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches

Isn't this bizarre... Truly remarkable.  Here is an evil witch holding a rosy babe down as on of her comrades comes with a knife to sacrifice the lad. Behind her her three sisters dance a macabre dance while bats roar inside a cave. There is a bizarre apparition as the center. it seems that the visitor is a being not of this world. Scary... all the witches as well as the child seem to be gazing at this other worldly being. Pretty interesting don't cha think? 5 stars

The weird sisters 

The above old maidens are the witches that Macbeth visited. They where the ones that told Macbeth that he would become a great king and that man not born of a woman would slay him. The way they behave and point reminds me of the furies and the fates. They are in essence the classical trio. They point Macbeth to his fate (or death). A keen observed would notice on top of the finger of the witch at the background there is a little skull with bat wings and a crown.It seems that his flight toward fame and kingship was to seal his own demise.

Horseman Attacked by a Giant Snake

The Following Fuseli painting is truly a work of art. This is a reworking of the Laocoon Group. In this painting we see a man attacked by a giant snake. It is a rather interesting study of bodily contortions. Fuseli was always experimenting with composition (arrangement of characters in a painting). I guess this is another one of his mad experiments. 5 stars for this snake, horse and rider experiment.

A Mad Woman

A proper name for a proper mad woman. She seems to be pointing at something or other. She does seem to have a lovely arrangement about her. Other than the fact that she is insane there is really nothing else remarkable about this composition experiment. 5 stars by the way for this Fuseli painting. 

The Lives of the Poet or Milton's Daughters

I sometime wonder... was John Milton insane? Fuseli seems to think so too. Here we see the poet in a strange insane revery. He does not seem to be aware that his daughters are next to him. One is even writing whatever insanity seems to cross by his mind. Frankly, there must be something wrong with a person that described Sin in such a unique disgusting fashion. Anyhow... 5 stars for this Fuseli masterpiece.

Self Portrait

Truly Fuseli was quite the original artist. He broke many boundaries that many did not dare thread. For this he gained both the hate and admiration of his peers. Even today, many cannot help but marvel at his strange nightmarish paintings.