Gothic landscapes and art

Gothic landscapes and art

Salvator Rosa 

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/salvator-rosa-witches-at-their-incantations, viewed 05.02.16, digital image

This painting in Italy made in the 17th century is a good example of a Gothic seen, the individuals in the painting are of witches, they are undergoing spells in avery dark and gloomy setting. The only light being from a lighting bolt that highlights the groups of witches; bringing the dead back to life, taking parts of the body for spells and conjuring different beings, this would have been a terror to see but also of interest because it shows a dark and evil side which interests many people, they can look at it without taking any risks of their own. I particularly like this painting,I like the detail, and that the more I look at it, the more I see. It shows the imagination of the artist and his dark state of mind. 

Notes: 

1. gothic
2. dark
3. ghouls 
4. ghosts 
5. witches 
6. folk law
7. omen 
8. superstitious 
9. old England 

Henry Fuseli, the nightmare 

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/romanticism/romanticism-in-england/a/henry-fuseli-the-nightmare, viewed 06.02.16, digital image

While a beautiful woman is sprawled across a bed, the sheets and her arms are hanging off the edge as if to insinuate distress, a small evil looking creature crouches on her chest. The creature could be to show a bad dream or nightmare that the woman is having, it could also show the woman being controlled by this demon creature.

Conjured by Fuseli's imagination, his painting was considered less impressionable compared to others of its time by critiques, but the people who view this painting grew more intrigued by it's meaning and the emotions and mental state of the artist. This painting has been recreated over and over again throughout history, because of it's dark and gothic deeper meaning.