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Henri Fuseli
The Nightmare exhibited 1782
Oil on canvas, 1210 x 1473 x 89 mm
Lent by the Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr and Mrs Bert L. Smokler and Mrs Lawrence A. Fleischman
The Nightmare exhibited 1782
Oil on canvas, 1210 x 1473 x 89 mm
Lent by the Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr and Mrs Bert L. Smokler and Mrs Lawrence A. Fleischman
The Nightmare
scenario by Maarten Weynants, age 23
It was one of the late nights at Tate Britain. Somehow, Louisa had been locked up inside after closing time. She didn't know how it had happened, but all of a sudden everyone was gone and she was left alone. She had probably been too absorbed in her musings about the paintings of the Gothic Nightmare Exhibition. Only a little while ago, she heard herself thinking that these paintings seemed absurd to her now. Surely, they couldn't scare anyone anymore nowadays. Silently, she had insulted, laughed at the gothic paintings and the weird creatures that occupied them. On thinking these thoughts, she had seen a frightening twinkling in the eye of the imp on Fuseli's Nightmare that made her shiver. But only a few seconds later, she had forgotten all about it and continued mocking these old nightmares.
Now here she was locked up inside the exhibition. Suddenly, she saw the figures in the paintings move and heard hideous laughter. No, it couldn't be, that was her imagination and fear running wild.
The laughter grew louder. She shrank with fear. She was terrified. Sweat formed on her forehead and on her back, cold drops of sweat (or was it blood?) tickled down her spine.
The figures on the paintings did not only move now, they came loose from their canvasses. They stood firm and marched out of the paintings. Oh God! They came straight to her. Formed circles round her, chanted and danced, mocked her. Now it was their turn to mock her, laugh at her, insult her. Imps, demonic horses, witches, ghosts, skeletons, Satan, Hephaestus, they were all there and threatened to do the same things to her as what happens in the paintings.
She cursed herself for her arrogance about these nightmares. She realized they could scare anyone to death.
She was looking for a way out! She couldn't take it anymore.
She heard something beeping. Was it an alarm? Had she touched a painting (the figures of the paintings had certainly touched her) and would the police or guards come to the rescue? Please!
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