The Spirit of Knowledge
1798
Medium
Black chalk and brush and gray wash on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
18.2 × 22.3 cm (7 3/16 × 8 13/16 in.)
Classification
chalk and wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
150038
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
One of the most original and probing artists of the late 18th century, Fuseli worked principally in London but went to Rome for eight years beginning in 1770. The influence of Michelangelo’s prophets and sibyls is tangible in this allegorical figure, probably drawn in London a decade after he left Rome; at this time Fuseli had recently met William Blake, who treated a similar subject in his Book of Job.
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...