The Cave of Despair
c. 1769
Medium
Pen and black ink, with brush and brown and gray wash and touches of red gouache, over graphite and touches of charcoal, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
33.1 × 50.4 cm (13 1/16 × 19 7/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84465
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
All the formulae that would come to define Fuseli’s unique style are already present in this extremely accomplished early drawing: the stage-like setting and dramatic gestures that reveal the influence of the theater; a powerful use of line and contour; extreme contrasts of dark and light; and heroic physiques influenced by ancient sculpture and Michelangelo. The subject is from Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene (published 1590). It depicts the temptation of suicide offered by Despai...
About the Artist
Henry Fuseli · 1741–1825
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...