How To Paint A Nightmare

 

SOURCES

"John Knowles" The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli

Andrei Pop, "Antiquity, Theatre, and the Painting of Henry Fuseli"

Susan Wolstenholme, "Gothic (Re)Visions: Writing Women as Readers"

Frances Dilworth, "The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli: 3 Ways to Interpret His Most Famous Work"

Hannah Moss, "Mary Shelley’s Nightmare: Fuseli and the Aesthetics of Frankenstein"

MUSIC (via Epidemic Sound)

Close to Touch - Hampus Naeselius
Underwater Den - Jobii
Approaching the Signal - Trevor Kowalski
Crystal Gloom - Rand Aldo
The Clearing - Golden Anchor
Hello April - John Runefelt


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The Nerdwriter is a series of video essays about art, culture, politics, philosophy and more.

[spiksplinter]

The real nightmare is the backpain she's gonna feel in the morning sleeping like that

[ruefalls]

I'm watching this at night alone and for some reason it really freaked me out, thanks

[kneerunjun]

Sorry about the lights. That was me doing a routine light check

[Halanski]

To add one more thing: The Demon Mare is also connected to the phenomena of "Sleep Paralysis", which is believed (in some folklore) is caused by Mare feeding on your fear once you wake up and can not move for a while (experiencing all kind of hallucinations, because even though your are awake, your mind and body are still in dream state).
I guess this theme have some more topics to discuss and I glad that more people are interested in it, even not directly sometimes.
Also Project Mara video game is currently in development from very talented "Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice" devs, I hope they will bring something magnificent from storytelling perspective upon Mare and nightmares in general.
P.S. I am relatively often experiencing Sleep paralysis myself, so that's why I am into it :)

[SebastianTinajero]

I love this painting, there was a dark period in my life where I was having frequent night paralysis episodes, terrifying ones the terror was almost indescribable to someone that’s never experienced them. I remember being frustrated trying to explain to my family at the time what I was somewhat experiencing I felt alone and then I came across this painting and it was scary how accurate it was the feeling of something macabre laying on your chest holding you down not allowing you to move while terrorizing figures and sounds around you creep closer and grow louder! I showed them this painting and that connection made me feel a bit less lonely.

[kauros]

I love the unrefined outline of the imp, the formless shapes in the shadows of the feet and it's back contrast sharply but spookily with the elegant white dress.

[kissthesky]

I’ve always imagined something horrible under her bed, just out of sight, reaching toward her outstretched hand. That’s every child’s nightmare. A dangling hand off the bed is a lure for the monster below us.

[JeanPhilippeBoucher]

It's clear you had a lot of fun doing playing with the audio on this!
I used to think of this painting as the "sleep paralysis painting" but I had no idea there was this much story behind the canvas!

[derchristianausffo]

German here. I've got Relatives & Friends in Switzerland, Fuselis Home Country and I think, I can provide a better Context for this Painting's Name.

The Name of this Painting is "Der Nachtmahr" and shows a Folkloristic Spirit, a Nachtmahr, that lurs itself into your Head to scare and even chase you in your own Dreams.

Since there wasn't a direct Translation for "Nachtmahr" back then, another Title was chosen for international Audiences, that fits the Picture as best as possible.

Actually, the Term "Nightmare" even is a seperated and modified Iteration of "Nachtmahr", that got adapted into Englisch Language to describe "Bad Dreams" more accurate. 😊✌🏻

[lukebader]

The fire animation at the end is stunning

[ouroboros]

Seeing this in Detroit a few years ago was a trip. It's displayed amongst a lot of rococo finery, so I turned a corner into a room filled with white porcelain and shiny silver and towards the end lurked this dark canvas. Such a wonderful contrast.

[lostrefuge]

To add one more (dark) thing: The draperies below the woman, the pink-brown one looks like internal organs and the red part is like pouring blood when you consider the pose as a dead person. And they also come from just below where the creature sits, the impact point.

[ffynephrine]

The voice effects is such a nice touch!

[xliquidflames]

Wow. This has always been one of my favorite paintings. Every time I look at it, I notice the obvious first. The demon, the woman, and the horse all play tug with my attention. The longer I look, though, the more I feel the need to look at those dark shadows under the bed, to the right of the demon, and to the left of the horse. I half expect to see faint glowing eyes appear in those black spaces. It's like my subconscious is telling me I need to look at into the shadows else something evil will appear there.

...and then you end the video with a fade to black except glowing eyes.

Very well done, sir.

[abracadude]

The audio design for this video was on another level <3

[spencer]

"We become vulnerable to the emotional power of the experience" is brilliantly phrased

[bernacarangan]

my new favorite unofficial series of yours is scary paintings with scary editing

this video and the saturn devours video are now my favorites

[avedic]

I have this painting on my bedside table.
It's small....just 3 square inches or so, framed.
I experience sleep paralysis fairly enough that I've become QUITE familiar with the terrain of it, how it works, what to expect, etc. And I love having this painting nearby....as a touchstone. Sleep Paralysis can be TERRIFYING. I've had certain episodes that were more frightening than I suspect a conscious awake person could EVER experience in actual waking life. But....then you wake up. And flip on the light switch....to find it doesn't work! But then you wake up for REAL this time. Or do you....? ^__^
But yeah....I love this painting. Captures the vibe of sleep and dreams and the subconscious so well.

[awake]

Saved this video for the end of Halloween night. Thank you for your upload!

[TheAmazingAram]

The Maere sitting on the chest reminds me of some of the paintings and drawings shown in the episode: Pickman's Model (episode 5 of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities). It is about an art student who gradually loses control over himself and his life after seeing disturbing imagery in paintings and drawings created by one of his classmates.