Object Image

The Nightmare

Being in the grips of a nightmare is a common occurrence that we can all relate to, but we may never experience one exactly as a particular artist depicts it. Here Fuseli conjures up a terrifying image filled with mystery and panic, yet with a vague and disturbing familiarity. It suggests the way the woman feels in the grip of a demonic nightmare, not what she sees. The Nightmare was reproduced as an engraving; a copy hung in Sigmund Freud's apartment in Vienna in the 1920s.

Credit: Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Bert L. Smokler and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence A. Fleischman...

1781
Oil on canvas
40.1 x 50.1 x 0.8 in
55.5.A
Image and text courtesy of Detroit Institute of Arts Gallery, 2021

Where you'll find this

Detroit Institute of Arts
Permanent collection

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