Studies of Nudes
n.d.
Medium
Black crayon or charcoal on a fragment of tan laid paper (recto), fragment of graphite sketch (verso)
Dimensions
25.9 × 9.7 cm (10 1/4 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
crayon
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
159212
Art Historical Context
Henry Fuseli, a pioneering figure in the Romantic movement, renowned for his dramatic, otherworldly depictions of the human form, often inspired by Shakespeare, mythology, and the supernatural. This intimate *Studies of Nudes*n.d.), housed in the Art Institute of's Prints and Drawings department exemplifies his fascination with muscular, contorted figures. Rendered in black crayon or charcoal on fragment of tan laid paperrecto) with a graphite sketch on the verso, small sheet—measuring just 25.9 × 9.7 cm—captures poses that pulse with energy and tension. These studies likely served as prepara...
About the Artist
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), born Johann Heinrich Füssli in Zürich, was a Swiss-British painter whose visionary works exploring dreams, nightmares, and psychological terror made him one of the most original figures of the Romantic movement. His art bridged Neoclassical discipline with Romantic emotionalism, creating images of supernatural intensity that would influence artists from William Blake to t...