'The Nightmare'

Khan academy (no date) Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/romanticism/romanticism-in-england/a/henry-fuseli-the-nightmare
(Accessed: 4 February 2016).

This painting by Henry Fuseli is one of the most famous paintings of the Romantic era, and does highlight some themes that are prominent in Gothic novels.  It shows an imp-like creature sitting atop of a sleeping woman, whilst the head of a horse pokes through the curtains at the back. The imp-like creature is similar to the Supernatural/Unknown elements that we typically see in Gothic literature- he has the look of a modern troll. He could be interpreted as a version of the devil, come to poach upon the vulnerable damsel in distress, with the horse being his means of transport. When I looked into other people's interpretations of the painting, some suggested that the bottles on the table could contain poison/a sedative so that the girl is at the mercy of the imp. When I first looked at the painting the thing that stood out to me was the horse - the eyes are glazed over white which to me gives the illusion of possession, like the horse has been taken over by the imp and is doing its bidding. Another thing that stood out about the horse was the idea of the horsemen of the apocalypse, and the inclusion of the horse in the photo could be a foreshadowing that something even worse is about to come.