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Johann Heinrich Füssli

1741-1825 Switzerland/Romanticism

 

Brief Biography-Johann Heinrich Füssli (Henry Fuseli) was born in Zurich in 1741. His father, an artist, steered him into the church, and in 1761 he received his orders. However, in 1763, his disclosure concerning a dishonest magistrate resulted in him leaving Zurich for Berlin, where he studied art and literature. When a British ambassador viewed his works, he invited him to England. Joshua Reynoldswas impressed by his drawings and urged him to go to Italy in 1770. He met Jacques-Louis David during his stay in Rome and studied Michelangelo’s works over his eight-year visit.
When he returned to England, his painting, The Nightmare, helped him to succeed. Füssli was elected Associate of the Royal Academy in 1778 and became an Academician in 1790. He was named Lecturer on Painting in 1799 and made keeper in 1804. He died in Putney in 1825. William Blake, who he knew in England, influenced his work. Some of his noted students were Landseer, Constable, Haydon and Mulready.

 

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Euphrosyne before
the Imagination

Euphrosyne before the Imagination and the Temperance

Fairy
Mab

Fairy Mab

Henry Fuseli
by John Opie

Henry Fuseli by John Opie

Falstaff in a
Laundry Basket

Falstaff in a Laundry Basket

Lapland
Witches

Lapland Witches

Horseman Attacked
by a Giant Snake

Horseman Attacked by a Giant Snake

Reclining
and Piano Teacher

Reclining and Piano Teacher

Maria
Hess

Maria Hess

Juliet's
Deathbed

Juliet's Deathbed

The Artist and
Johann Bodmer

The Artist and Johann Jakob Bodmer

Satanic Call to the
Beelzebub in Hell

Satanic Call to the Beelzebub in Hell

The Dream of
the Shepherd

The Dream of the Shepherd

The Fairy Queen
Titania-

The Fairy Queen Titania Caressing the Ass-headed List

Sleep and Death
Carry the Body

Sleep and Death Carry the Body of Sarpedon to Lycia

The Incubus
Leaving Sleeping-

The Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Women

Tekemessa and
Eurysakes

Tekemessa and Eurysakes

The Battle of Thor
with the Serpent

The Battle of Thor with the Midgard Serpent

The Loneliness
at Dawn

The Loneliness at Dawn

The Creation
of Eve

The Creation of Eve

The
Nightmare

The Nightmare by Fussli

The Three
Witches

The Three Witches

The Fairy Queen Titania Finds-

The Fairy Queen Titania Finds the Magic Ring on the Beach

Undine Comes into
the House-

Undine Comes into the House of the Fishermen

The Insane
Kate

The Insane Kate

The Ladies of
Hastings

The Ladies of Hastings

Trompe-
l'oeil

Trompe-l'oeil

The Sleepwalking
Lady Macbeth

The Sleepwalking Lady Macbeth

Virtue Recalls
the Youth

Virtue Recalls the Youth

The Three
Confederates

The Three Confederates when Swearing on the Rutl

Thetis asks Hephaestus-

Thetis asks Hephaestus to Forge an Armor for her Son Achilles