The Night Mare

Student Name: Thomas L. Mark

Student Number: 000199635

Task #: UXT Task 2 Exploration of Humanities

Title of work: The Nightmare

Name of writer, artist, or composer: Henry Fuseli

The Night Mare

A: Initial Reaction

1. Initial Thoughts and Feelings

Henry Fuseli is the artist of oil painting “The Nightmare” he has depicted a women in the

painting who is sleeping, and on her chest, a Demon is couched. This painting is haunting and is

a dreamlike representation of infatuation. Therefore, it makes the viewer feel the fear by the

imagination of the scenario being presented by this picture. However, this work is unique and

different from the point of interpretations that might be different. This work represents a women

Comment [PC61]: Parts of Speech – article usage

Note: Varying Parts of Speech issues recur in the work.

Module 8.15: Article Usage https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/117123633 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on Article Usage.

Comment [PC62]: Sentence Fluency – run-on sentence (fused)

Note: Errors of this nature recur in the work.

Module 8.25: Fused Sentences https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/117997316 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on Fused Sentences.

Comment [PC63]: Parts of Speech – noun form (singular / plural)

Note: Varying Parts of Speech issues recur in the

work.

Module 6: Parts of Speech https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/71484265 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on the writing trait of Parts of Speech, more specifically, Nouns and Pronouns.

dreaming, and the details portrays a bit of her dream as the nightmare’s content. My thoughts

while seeing this picture left me feeling the horror of sleep paralysis condition in which the

victim feels that some demon is sitting on the chest and at that time body is paralyzed.

2. Aspect of interests

The things that have captured my attention and interest while seeing this picture are the

content of woman’s nightmare and her situation of helplessness. In this canvas, the horse head

and incubus is referring to the nightmares folklore. Moreover, the artist of this painting has

provided the clear-cut horror in just one single moment. Several aspects have been added that are

creating an influence of this picture on the viewers. In addition to it, the room is having curtains

of red velvet that are behind the adding a more intensity. However, another thing that has

captured my attention is the head of a horse on the canvas that has featureless eyes creating a

horrifying image (Schneck, 1969).

B. Analyze the Work

1. Historical Context

Western society has observed Drang movement and German Sturm in early 1780s that

was the era when revenge driven literary movement. This era has lead to support several visual

artists who have painted the terrifying scenes. In 1760’s to 1780s the art consisting of

romanticism was appreciated during the turn of the century. However, as artists have seen that

the art pieces are getting famous all around, so they have developed more so that to gain

maximum appreciation. Thus in the next 40 years, the numbers of practitioners were more.

During that period the artists were young however the romanticism was old. Most of the artists

during that time have moved into new directions, but some remained consistent about romanticist

Comment [PC64]: Conventions – apostrophe usage – possessive form

Note: Varying Conventions issues recur in the work.

Module 7: Conventions https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/104450487 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on the writing trait of Conventions, more specifically, Apostrophes.

Comment [PC65]: Parts of Speech – verb form Note: Errors of this nature recur in the work.

Module 6: Parts of Speech https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/71484265 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on the writing trait of Parts of Speech, more specifically, Verbs.

Comment [PC66]: Parts of Speech – verb form

Note: Errors of this nature recur in the work.

Comment [PC67]: Conventions – comma usage

Note: Varying Conventions issues recur in the work.

Module 7: Conventions https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/104450487 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on the writing trait of Conventions, more specifically, Commas.

approaches. The Drang movement and German Sturm has brought lasting changes and provided

a theme of focus for artists.

2. Insights into the Work

Fuseli has created this oil painting The Nightmare as he was attracted by the concept of

romanticism and English ideas. He was encouraged by the ideology of Reynolds that has

contributed to his art piece development and its expressions. Fuseli was analyzing the different

situation lightening, his life, death and hell and these attributes have developed unusual support

for the mind and his emotions. Fuseli has got a stronger connection with romantic circles that

have insisted on providing the spontaneous effect of the genius. Since his childhood, Fuseli was

drawing, but at his younger age, his art became prodigious. In this instance, the themes of his

painting were explicitly connected to romantics. The sturdy canvas the nightmare is his attempt

to generate a horror for a moment that he to represent women who seem to be in a horrifying

nightmare (Myrone, 2001).

3. Theme and Stylistic Characteristic

Nightmare is the oil painting on canvas seems to follow the theme of romanticism.

However, the horrifying nightmare is mainly being portrayed by this picture. Although it is not

associated with horse that is presented on the image but that is just an expression to create horror.

However demon sitting on the chest of women refers to a spirit that suffocates sleepers and

disturbs them in real. The sleepers experience weight felt on their chest is associated with

dyspnea or a kind of sleep paralysis in which a victim is dread. Imagery is presented in this

painting linked with horrifying ideas (King-Hele, 1986).

Comment [PC68]: Sentence Fluency – ineffective construction

Note: Errors of this nature recur in the work.

Module 5: Sentence Fluency https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/71484224 Click the link above to be directed to the Guide to Academic Writing created by the WGU Writing Center. This link includes information on the writing trait of Sentence Fluency, more specifically, Writing Sentences.

4. The relevance of this Work

Considering the oil painting, associates with the conditions that are faced by people while

sleeping when they are in their nightmare or have sleep paralysis. It is the same situation when

one feel occupied by something else or has to get scared by anything unusual thing in the

nightmare. The oil painting is typically developing an understanding of the being withdrawn. In

the situation of waking dream that are folkloric beliefs that are found in the German tales related

to the witches and demons who occupy people, they found alone.

C. Thoughts and Feelings about the Work

Deeply analyzing the oil painting of the nightmare that seems to be pretty interesting

developing a different perception for the viewers. I have seen this picture, and I could relate it to

the feeling of a real nightmare that scares people. The painter has combined several elements in

the same picture that is creating a full-fledged image of a woman who is sleeping alone, helpless

and being caught by a demon couched on her breast and she seems to be helpless at that time.

The horse-like creature with those scary eyes is compelling and depicting the horror on the scene.

This picture is associated with the theme of romanticism stressing on the obsession of demon like

creatures that possess a human body. These are illusions or probably a dream however

sometimes these are merely because of the stressors creating sleep paralysis.

Comment [PC69]: Sentence Fluency – run-on sentence (fused)

Note: Errors of this nature recur in the work.

References

King-Hele, D. (1986). Erasmus Darwin and the Romantic poets. Springer.

Myrone, M. (2001). Henry Fuseli. Tate Gallery Publishing Limited.

Schneck, J. M. (1969). Henry Fuseli, nightmare, and sleep paralysis. JAMA , 207 (4), 725-726.