Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli, Blake and the Gothic Imagination

by Martin Myrone (Editor)

The 1770s were marked by the emergence of themes of violence, horror, and the supernatural in the birth of the Gothic. In 1782 the unveiling of Henry Fuseli's painting The Nightmare was met with a mixture of shock and fascination, and was followed by the cosmic visions of William Blake and the searing grotesque caricatures of James Gilray. While there have been several re-assessments of Gothic literature in recent years, Gothic Nightmares is the first serious consideration of these themes in visual art, from the 1770s up through the present.

Among the themes explored The Gothic Nightmare, examining Fuseli's famous painting in context; the sublime vision of the Gothic hero; the influence of literature and fantasy on art; visions of the apocalypse; and the obsession with scientific revelation that culminated in the vision of ultimate horror in Mary Shelley's man-made monster, Frankenstein.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Art History, Romanticism, Gothic, Art and Photography

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

Reviews

[Robert Adam Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read all the essays (only a few really interested me) but it functions as a pretty good gallery of Fuseli and Blake, although I would recommend you get additional books on those artists to cover more of their images.

[shems · Rating 5 out of 5]

used for research and i enjoyed all of the essays. i will surely revisit this book many times.

[Maja Shinigami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mljac.

[MKF]

My idea of Gothic art is not the same as the author's because many of these I wouldn't call Gothic.

[Ben Lovegrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exhibition catalogue of the special Tate exhibition on the genesis of the gothic horror.