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Henry Fuseli by James Northcote.

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Henry Fuseli

Henry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Fussli) was a Swiss painter and writer in the 18^th century. Although he was born in Zurich, Switzerland, he spent most of his life in Britain. Most of his works deal with the extremes of human emotion and state, including the supernatural and gothic horror.

 One of his most famous works is ‘The Nightmare’, whose subject is the supernatural. Fuseli painted works for John Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery, including illustrations for ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

 He also wrote several essays and reviews in his later career. His style and works greatly influenced later painters, including William Blake. These are the top 10 remarkable facts about Henry Fuseli.

1. Henry Fuseli was the son of portrait painter Johann Casper Fussli

Johann Caspar Fussli by Anton Graff.

He was born on 7 February 1741 in Zurich, Switzerland. His father was Johann Casper, a Swiss portrait painter, and writer. He had studied painting in Vienna between 1724 and 1731.

 He then became a portraitist in the courts of southern Germany, painting members of the government. He is also the author of ‘Lives of the Helvetic Painters’. He married Elisabeth Waser and they had 5 children. Henry Fuseli was the second born.

2. His father intended him to become a minister of the Church

Fuseli was fascinated by the art he saw among his father’s collections. He showed interest, sketching for hours works in his father’s possession. However, his father wanted him to pursue service in the church instead.

He sent Fuseli to the Caroline college of Zurich. There he received a classical education. There he also Johann Kasper Lavater, a Swiss poet, philosopher, and theologian. They became close friends.

3. Fuseli had to leave the country in 1761 in fear of his life

This was after he had helped his friend Kasper Lavater to expose an unjust magistrate. The magistrate’s powerful family was seeking revenge. After taking Holy Orders in 1761, he was forced to leave the country.

 He traveled through Germany, then visited England in 1765. There, he fend for himself by miscellaneous writing. Later he met Sir Joshua Reynolds, a renowned English painter, and collector.

Fuseli, who was still fascinated by painting, showed him some of the drawings he had made. Reynolds encouraged him to devote himself to the art, which he did.

He went to Italy in 1770 on an art pilgrimage and remained there until 1778. He changed his name from Fussli to Fuseli to sound more Italian while there.

4. He painted pieces for John Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery

Titania and Bottom, by Fuseli from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Fuseli returned to Britain in 1779. In London, he received a commission from British publisher John Boydell to paint several pieces for his Shakespeare Gallery.

 Boydell was an eminent engraver, and he had commissioned several artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds to illustrate scenes from Shakespeare. Fuseli contributed 9 paintings, including three inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

5. Fuseli’s works depict extremes of the human senses

The Shepherd’s Dream by Fuseli. Wikimedia Commons.

Fuseli is known for his particular liking for the supernatural and extreme human state. He was fascinated by dreams, sexual symbolism, and the mystical.

Themes such as horror, sexuality, dark magic, and grotesque humor can be seen in some of his works.

He was described as a master of ‘light and shadow’, using dramatic illumination to create intensity and sharp contrast in his paintings. This technique can be seen in Michelangelo’s works as well, an Italian famous painter.

Fuseli had studied his works while in Rome, Italy, and this could have greatly influenced him. He painted more than 200 pictures but exhibited only a small number of them. He produced no landscapes.

6. His most famous work is ‘The Nightmare’

The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli (1781).

This was the piece that catapulted him into fame, catching the particular attention of the public. It is the epitome of the supernatural, with subliminal connotations of sensual desire. It shows a dark bedroom scene in which a lady lies on a disheveled bed, seemingly unconscious.

 Her arms hang limply, and a goblin is sitting on her still body. The goblin represents a mythological creature who sat on female victims at night, causing them nightmares and sleep paralysis.

The painting has been interpreted diversely, with some arguing that it was a revenge painting against an unnamed former lover. It belongs to the realms of gothic horror which inspired writers such as Edgar Allan Poe.

It has also been considered to have erotic connotations, while still addressing myths about nightmares. It is held at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

7. Fuseli wrote essays and reviews for the Analytical Review

In 1788, he started writing essays for the Analytical Review. The Analytical Review was a radical English periodical that included controversial thinkers of the day such as Thomas Paine, Joseph Priestly, William Godwin, and Mary Wollstonecraft.

They wrote about art, literature, politics, and social issues. Fuseli frequented the home of famous publisher Joseph Johnson, and also visited William Roscoe’s home, Allerton Hall.

8. He helped William Cowper in translating Homer

Homer is the legendary Greek author who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. William Cowper was an English poet and hymn writer. He translated Homer from Greek to English in 1791.

Fuseli was a master of German, English, Italian, and French. He could fluently write in all of them, although he preferred German in his works. Fuseli assisted Cowper in the translation. In 1778, he published an English translation of Lavater’s book on physiognomy.

9. Fuseli held the posts of Professor of Painting and Keeper at the Royal Academy

Painting by Henry Fuseli.

Fuseli was an associate of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. It was where he exhibited his famous art ‘The Nightmare. The institute was founded in 1768. Joshua Reynolds, who had encouraged Fuseli to pursue art, was its first president.

Fuseli was appointed Professor of Painting in 1799 at the affiliated Royal Academy of Schools. His teachings inspired many renowned artists including J.M.W Turner and William Blake. He was elected Keeper of Schools in 1804. He held the posts until he died in 1825.

10. He is reported to have had an affair with Mary Wollstonecraft

Sophia Rawlins, the artist’s wife by Henry Fuseli.

Fuseli is cited to have been a notorious ‘lady’s man. His affairs with women played a crucial role in his art. While in Rome, he fell in love with Lavater’s niece, Anna, but could not marry her since her father objected.

He is rumored to have had a sexual relationship with early feminist and author ‘Mary Wollstonecraft. She is best known for her work ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).’

Fuseli met his wife, Sophia Rawlins at an exhibition at the Society of Artists. He had to cut short communication with Wollstonecraft, who was still pursuing him.

 Sophia posed for him in numerous instances. Most of the erotic works were inspired by his sexual relationship with his wife. She burned most of these when Fuseli died in 1825.