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Above Henry Fuseli, The Vision of Catherine of Aragon. Oil on canvas, 1781. Size: 151 x 212.1cm
Shock and awe: the imaginative work of Henry Fuseli
The drawings and paintings of Romantic-era artist Henry Fuseli showcase his fascination with fantasy, expression, and elaborate hairstyles. Lucia Marchini takes a look at the imaginative work of the artist, and how he challenged conventions in public and private.
When the artist Henry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Füssli) died in 1825, he left behind in London’s Somerset House an intriguing set of drawings. Though he had a somewhat respectable role in the art establishment and received the honour of burial in St Paul’s Cathedral, these drawings represent a more private side to the artist’s practice. In some cases, the images were so ‘indelicate’ that Fuseli’s wife and model Sophia (née Rawlins) felt it necessary to destroy them.
Born in Zürich in 1741, Fuseli’s entry into the Royal Academy of Arts (becoming Professor of Painting in 1788, full Academician in 1790, and Keeper in 1805) and into the institution of marriage (also in 1788) ca
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