| The Nightmare | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Henry Fuseli |
| Year | 1781 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 101.6 cm × 127 cm (40.0 in × 50 in) |
| Location | Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan |
The Nightmare is a 1781 oil painting by the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli. It shows a woman in deep sleep with her arms thrown below her and a demonic and ape-like incubus crouched on her chest. The painting's erotic and haunting evocation of obsession became a breakthrough success for Fusel. The canvas portrays the woman's nightmare in which she is visited by an incubus and a horse's head. Contemporary critics were taken aback by the overt sexuality of the painting, since interpreted by some scholars as anticipating Jungian ideas about the unconscious.
After its debut at the 1782 Royal Academy of London, critics reacted with horrified fascination. The painting became widely popular to the extent that it was parodied in political satire, and engraved versions were widely distributed. In response, Fuseli produced at least three other versions.
Today the painting is housed at the Detroit Institute of Arts.[1]
- ^ "The Nightmare". Detroit Institute of Arts Museum. Retrieved 6 November 2024.