Jaime Reyes Jr

Professor Jassie
ARTT 201
11/04/14
The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli
During the height of the Enlightenment period, neoclassicism was displaced by
Romanticism as technology such as photography and the industrial revolution began in
Europe. The Nightmare (1781) by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) conveys romanticism in the
way that he contrasts light and shadows and in his attention to detail, heightening the
dramatic display of a woman and an incubus in a dark room. This is an example of many
artworks during romanticism, as artists imagine new horrific fantasies during the dark
and gloomy Middle Ages.
Romanticism is all about subjective emotion and freedom. The Nightmare
displays a dark, obscuring background contrasting with the light figure of a woman
depicted lying, with her arms lifeless and hanging. She is shown wearing a white dress as
well, as if representing purity. The incubus is seen, camouflaged into the background, as
if they were one. It is a classic example of one of the many dark fantasies, evil vs.
holiness in which Henry Fuseli experimented in; dark terrain.
Henry Fuseli's attention to detail adds a dramatic impact to the scenery as well.
The figures are distinctive; with the faces of the shadows menacing, and the woman's
figure asleep and aroused by the incubus. The positioning of the woman and the incubus
are unique, as she is seen sleeping innocently as the darkness of the night takes over. The
attention to detail makes it easier to project these mixtures of emotions, as they are seen
vividly onto the figures faces.

Romanticism is a new realm of artistic imagination, conveying classical

emotional renderings such as death, suffering, and horrific creations during a dark period
of time of the Middle Ages. It is a different movement, taking over the art of reasoning,
towards the art of emotions with the lack of restrictions on what artists have come to
mind.
Le Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
During the late 19th century, Impressionism was an art movement created as a
product to the modern, industrialized French lifestyle. Artists such as Pierre-Auguste
Renoir began to depict typical French standard of living, especially around Paris which
was the main hub of social life. This strayed away from traditional religious and
mythological paintings, into more airy, lively pieces. Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) is
one of many Impressionable artworks which shows the daily passing moments of the
citizens of France.
The moment of pastime activities is frozen onto the canvas of Le Moulin de la
Galette. People are seen dancing, laughing, and having a good time on a typical day out
in Paris. The placement of people, and the continuity of the cut out figures gives the
observer the reaction of essentially existing and being a part of the gathering as well. In
Impressionism, art, dancing, opera, dining, and other leisurely activities are a stray away
from classical art which is universal and timeless. This painting exemplifies typical
Parisian life, as people changed their hardworking schedules, into having more time to
enjoy the higher things in life.
Light is a key component to Impressionable paintings. On the figures and the
items shown on the oil canvas, light is seen being reflected off, giving a spotlight to key

events such as the couple dancing, and the lights up on the ceiling giving the time of day.
This type of lighting also gives the painting a feeling of domesticity and comfort. Pierre
gave Le Moulin de la Galette a light and airy substance, of how a passing moment can be
so filled with life and energy.
Impressionism was a new, different face from classical, timeless paintings into a
more fresh breathe of air that is only sustained for a moment. Le Moulin de la Galette by
Pierre-Auguste Renoir gives an example of Parisian means of life, and represents that
flash of time of daily citizen activities.
Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse
In the early years of the 20th century of France, Fauvism was an artistic movement
that came to life, brimming with bold colors, daring textures, and brilliant patterns in
order to showcase powerful emotions and to collect strong reactions from observes of
these artworks. Although short-lived, it was a lovely contrast to dark, traditional
paintings, being one of the first art movements of modernity. Woman with a Hat (1905)
by Henri Matisse, one of the founding artists of Fauvism, contains the usage of color in a
manner of juxtaposition and the playfulness of pattern and light to derive inner motions
of the subject being painted. By doing so, fauves hope to capture the awe of the viewers
sensations.
Woman with a Hat is representative of the Fauvist movement, using color as a
separate element. Henris wife, Amelie, is seen portrayed onto the canvas, wearing which
would be considered unconventional colors during the early 20th century. Originally,
Henri says that the dress was black, which is quite the opposite in this depiction. This
piece exemplifies modernity, as traditional landscapes and portraits blend pigments and

are interdependent. Bold colors such as oranges, greens, reds and more are used, with the
artists intention to have no concern with the realistic representation of the artwork. Each
of these colors has their own rhythm and mood.
Henri Matisse in Woman with a Hat uses the technique of placing color splotches
and patterns to have expressive artistic elements. There is no consistency with color, and
as a result, the loose brush strokes give off stronger reactions expressed by the subject in
the painting, Amelie. The usage of this style also gives a fragmentary quality to the
painting itself. This abstraction means not to imitate nature, and gives a twist on oldfashioned landscapes and bourgeois leisure, into a new contemporary, bright perspective
on a dark and dreary time.