Johann Heinrich Fussli

The Profile

Swiss painter (1741–1825), born in Zurich, who moved to London in 1779 and adopted the name Henry Fuseli.

Fussli's work draws on Dante, Milton and Shakespeare; features tense, distorted bodies, monsters and dreamlike settings; The Nightmare (L'incubo, 1781) is his best-known painting and was later rediscovered and admired by surrealists and impressionists. He used allegory and visionary imagery to critique high society and esoteric intellectual circles.

The available review frames Johann Heinrich Fussli as a Swiss-born painter who moved to London (as Henry Fuseli) and created dreamlike, often monstrous images. His best-known painting, The Nightmare (L'incubo, 1781), is highlighted as a seminal, symbol-laden work. The review links Fussli to Dante, Milton and Shakespeare and notes later rediscovery by surrealists. Style: tense bodies, distorted figures, obscure spaces used for social and psychological critique.