Our topic for Tuesday's class will be the tension between the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism in art produced during the latter half of the eighteenth century. While Neoclassicism concerned itself with the formal revival of Greco-Roman figures and architectural models, Romanticism was motivated by more emotional and subjective impulses, and often inspired by contemporary theatre and literary genres like poetry and horror novels. The Swiss artist Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) exemplifies the romantic approach both in his manner of painting and choice of subjects, including this famous painting titled The Nightmare. How does Fuseli's approach to the subject of the female body, and his implication of the viewer's presence, differ from that of Francois Boucher in his Lady on a Her Day Bed or from other works we have seen thus far in class? Is Fuseli's woman self-absorbed in the manner of Boucher's women, or is something else going on here?
Fuseli's The Nightmare shows a different approach to the subject of the female body, and differs in its implication of the viewer's presence from that of Francois Boucher in his Lady on a Her Day Bed. The female body in Fuseli’s piece, although posed dramatically in a way that could be construed as sexual (the bed doesn’t help), does not engage with the viewer at all. In Boucher’s pieces, even when the female is not looking at the viewer, the scene is set up as a space that includes the viewer to look and be a part of. For example in Boucher’s Lady on a Her Day Bed, the viewer is made to feel as if she has just entered the room and found the Lady waiting for her – posed for the viewer. There is an active engagement as the viewer is inspired to feel lust or love for the Lady on her bed as a part of some larger coy game. However, this game is still between the viewer and the Lady, no one else, and it is not meant to encourage a larger reflection on a universal principle like some of the other pieces we have seen. Yet here in Fuseli’s piece, the viewer is very separate from the feelings of the lady and the engagement comes from a fear of the nightmare creature on top of the lady. One feels like there is a larger lesson to reflect on, spurned by the look from the nightmare creature’s judgment as everything about the lady and her surroundings are discounted while the look of the nightmare creature pushes the viewer farther and farther away.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful comparison, Savannah! You may an especially nice point about how in Boucher's piece, the drama is between the female sitter and the viewer, but there seem to be no larger forces or meanings involved, whereas the element of the supernatural in Fuseli's painting adds a third element to the drama.
DeleteFuseli's approach to depicting the female body in his piece, "The Nightmare" is much different from the way the woman is depicted in "Lady on Her Day Bed." In Fuseli's piece, he seems to be focusing much more on the drama that is conveyed through the position of the woman as opposed to her sensuality. While she is wearing a low cut dress and the dress is sticking directly to her body, enabling the viewer to see all of her curves, I don't think this was Fuseli's main focus. Rather, by depicting her sprawled out across her bed, with her head hanging off to the sides and her hands in the positions that they are I feel as if this piece is much more theatrical than realistic. With the position of her hands, it seems as if she feel, like a performer would have, when portraying a whoa full moment. The theatrical aspect of this piece is also suggested by the large red curtain that is in the background of the piece. The woman depicted here does not seem very self absorbed, in fact it doesn't seem like she is so aware of the presence of the viewer. Rather, it is the 'monster' sitting on top of her that is staring at the viewer seemingly knowing that he has done something wrong and possibly tormented this woman in her sleep. When compared to the woman depicted in "Lady on Her Day Bed," this woman, while playing up her actions somewhat, is not as self absorbed as Boucher's woman. Boucher clearly depicted women as sitting waiting, staring at the viewer, in a very sensual and suggestive way that showed her high thoughts of herself.
ReplyDeleteExcellent discussion of how the sensuality of Fuseli's figure differs from that of Boucher, and how the theatrical arrangement of figures in Fuseli's painting also distinguishes it from the seemingly casual encounter that Boucher stages between the lady on her day bed and the viewer.
DeleteFuseli ultimately differs from Boucher because he is capturing the female body in a scene that does not engage the beholder, whereas Boucher does the opposite. There is an artificial quality to Boucher’s “Lady on Her Day Bed,” due to the female subjects interaction with the viewer. She is posed like one would pose for a photograph, making her emotions read as falsified. The scene in the background reflects the same artificial qualities due to the objects placements and the elaborate nature of the furniture. Moving to Fuseli’s “The Nightmare,” there is a more natural translation of emotion due to the fact that the subject is not engaging with the viewer. Since the viewer is removed from the scenario, the scene has a heightened drama. There is less emphasis on the background, and more on the figure. The female subject is not posing or acting for the beholder, like in Boucher’s painting. But rather, the subjective qualities of Fuseli’s painting make the subject appear to be experiencing true emotions.
ReplyDeleteSerena is right to emphasize the greater emotional valence of Fuseli's painting and the greater emphasis on the figure itself rather than on background details like those in Boucher's picture.
DeleteFuseli approaches the subject of the female body differently than Boucher does. The female body in Fuseli’s piece does not engage with the viewer at all. The focus of the picture is on the figure and she appears to be more naturalistic and relaxed. However, in Boucher’s Lady on a Her Day Bed, the viewer is made to feel as if she has just entered the room and found the Lady waiting for her. She is dramatically sprawled out across her day bed, exposing her curves and edges. It almost appears as if she was staging a performance.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely put, Kelly -- there is a sense with Fuseli that the woman's dream state is undisturbed by the viewer's presence, whereas the pose of Boucher's female sitter is very conscious and performative in relation to the viewer.
DeleteFuseli's way of depicting the female body is different from that of Boucher. Firstly, the figure's eyes closed, she does no interact directly with the viewer. While in Boucher's painting, although the lady is not looking directly into the viewer, she is deliberately turning away from the viewer and showing the curve of her neck to the audience, suggesting that she knows the existence of the viewer. Secondly, the gesture in Fuseli's painting is very dramatic just like a sculpture to represent her emotions in the nightmare and show the curve and beauty of her body, while the pose of the lady in Boucher's drawing is much more real and less dramatic.
ReplyDeleteSherry makes a further observation here about the difference in pose, which is crucial. Fusel's figure is as dramatic and emotional as an ancient Greek statue like the Dying Gaul, where Boucher's figure is much more deliberately poised.
DeleteBoucher's female figures seemed to always be aware of the audience, even withing a private scene, such as in his Lady on Her Day Bed. However, Fuseli's female is completely unaware of the audience. She is sprawling out on her bed looking as if she is in a deep sleep, as she should in order to be having a nightmare. While Fuseli's female is still sexual, with her suggestively on a bed in a dress that clings to her body, this starts to fade into the background as the audience becomes aware of the drama unfolding before their eyes. Boucher does not have this dramatic aspect, rather the focus is on the sexuality of the women.
ReplyDeleteKelly raises the interesting question of the differing erotic tenor of the two paintings. Fusel's picture might seem more immediately sexual in the portrayal of the ecstatic woman and the dress clinging to her body, but Boucher's coy female subject has equally strong implications.
DeleteThe woman in Fuseli’s and Boucher’s paintings greatly differ. Fuseli’s woman is not interacting with the viewer. Instead some type of goblin/monster is staring directly at the viewer, thus making the female figure a secondary element in the image. Boucher’s woman instead was very teasing to the audience and playful. She seemed aware the she is being looked at (by us) but does not care and does not take the time to fully acknowledge us by making eye contact. One can see more of the outline of the female body in Fuseli’s, but this image is not as sexualized as compared to Boucher’s teasing subject.
ReplyDeleteInteresting analysis as well, which relates nicely to Kelly's comments above.
DeleteIn Fuseli's "The Nightmare", the woman is disengaged from the audience. There is no hint of attention to the viewer or the awareness of an audience. This makes the scene feel extremely intimate as opposed to Boucher's painting where everything felt as if it were on display. Fuseli paints the woman sensually - the cloth of her dress is drapes over every curve of her body. There is though almost naivety to this sensuality; she doesn't not seem to be absorbed in herself, but rather lamenting herself. The monster sitting atop of her body illustrates the frustrations within and surrounding her.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Boucher's picture is extremely staged whereas we get the sense of an intimate, almost voyeuristic encounter with Fuseli's dreaming female subject.
DeleteWhen Boucher paints a woman, he is generally intending the viewer of the painting to be a participant. The Lady on Her Day Bed invites the viewer into the painting in a very specific way. This painting, however, does not emphasize the woman's sexuality in the same way. She is beautiful, and wears a low-cut and tight dress, both unsurprising, but the primary focus of the painting is the emotion she is experiencing. Her pose is twisted and uncomfortable because she is having a nightmare, and the viewer is invited to feel sympathy rather than curiosity or lust.
ReplyDeleteJo gives a really nice summary of the difference between these pictures! The much stronger emotional force of Fuseli's picture establishes a very distinct relationship with the viewer and with the erotic attraction of the female figure.
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