Fuseli's The Nightmare

This portrait was painted by Henry Fuseli and it is called The Nightmare. It is oil on canvas, painted in 1781, and it is 4 X 4 feet. Fuseli is self-taught and expresses the fantasies of his innovative imagination in a distinct manner. The themes of Fuseli’s painting are dark fantasies and atmosphere of horror. In this portrait, a young woman is asleep across a bed while her limp arm is dangling outside the bed. On her body, an incubus is settled threateningly. During Medieval times, it was believed that a demon called incubus preyed sexually on sleeping women. The ghostly horse in the background bursts into the scene from behind the curtain. The title of the painting nightmare urges the viewer to imply it is due to the presence of the horse. However, the title is derived from “night” and “Mara”. Mara was a spirit, which tortured and suffocated sleepers. The illustration of the dark side of the human sub consciousness was first attempted by Henry Fuseli.