11/03/2022
Known by his contemporaries as the ‘Wild Swiss’, and an artist who produced scandalous subject matter, Henry Fuseli (1741 – 1825) is now celebrated in the exhibition ‘Fuseli and the Modern Woman: Fashion, Fantasy, Fetishism’ at the The Courtauld.
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A passionate enthusiast of theatre, literature and women (in no particular order!), Fuseli dedicated his career to the illustration of Shakespearean subject matter and depictions of the female form.
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The exhibition transports the viewer back into an 18th century mind, when society was obsessed with gothic and fantastical subject matter. Women in beautiful dress grace the walls, inspired by the theatrical performances Fuseli had attended at the Royal Opera House and Drury Lane (LW Theatres).
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Many courtesans appear, as in ‘Half-Length figure of a courtesan with feathered head-dress’ (1800-10), but a particular source of inspiration was his wife of 35 years, Sophia Rawlins. Sophia appears repeatedly in intimate depictionsm with her dress and hair both in keeping with the styles of the time, seen particularly in ‘Sophia Fuseli, her hair in large rolls, with pink gloves, in front of a brown curtain’ (1790) reflecting Fuseli’s fascination with fashionable, modern women of the day.
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Jonathon Jones of the Guardian asked in his review of the show, ‘Are these women models or fantasies?’ Perhaps if you visit this exhibition you could answer this otherwise impossible question. The exhibition is on view now until 8 January 2023.
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Image credits: Installation View at The Courtauld Gallery (2022); Francis Wheatley, ‘View of the interior of the Shakespeare Gallery’ (1790), watercolour on paper, 45 x 61.7 cm.; Henry Fuseli, ‘Sophia Fuseli, her hair in large rolls, with pink gloves, in front of a brown curtain’ (1790), pencil and brush, with wash, watercolour and white heightening on paper, 31.6 x 19.7 cm., Kunsthaus Zürich; Henry Fuseli, ‘Half-length figure of a courtesan with feathered head-dress’ (c.1800), graphite, pen and brown ink, brush and watercolour on paper, 28.3 x 20 cm., Kunsthaus Zürich.