BOSCHBOSCH

1450-15161450-1516

HENRY FUSELIHENRY FUSELI

““Any magazine-cover hack can splash paint Any magazine-cover hack can splash paint around wildly and call it a nightmare or a around wildly and call it a nightmare or a Witches’ Sabbath or a portrait of the devil, Witches’ Sabbath or a portrait of the devil, but only a great painter can make such a but only a great painter can make such a thing really scare or ring true. That’s because thing really scare or ring true. That’s because only a real artist knows the actual anatomy of only a real artist knows the actual anatomy of the terrible or the physiology of fear—the the terrible or the physiology of fear—the exact sorts of lines and proportions that exact sorts of lines and proportions that connect up with latent instincts or hereditary connect up with latent instincts or hereditary memories of fright, and the proper colour memories of fright, and the proper colour contrasts and lighting effects to stir the contrasts and lighting effects to stir the dormant sense of strangeness. I don’t have dormant sense of strangeness. I don’t have to tell you why a Fuseli really brings a shiver to tell you why a Fuseli really brings a shiver while a cheap ghost-story frontispiece merely while a cheap ghost-story frontispiece merely makes us laugh.” (makes us laugh.” (Pickman’s ModelPickman’s Model, 1926) , 1926)

“I began to have nightmares of the most hideous description, peopled with things which I called ‘night-gaunts’—a compound word of my own coinage. I used to draw them after waking (perhaps the idea of these figures came from an edition de luxe of Paradise Lost with illustrations by Doré, which I discovered one day in the east parlour).” (to Rheinhart Kleiner, 16 November 1916)

“Sorry to hear that Angarola is dead. He almost illustrated my ‘Outsider’—that is, he read it & told Wright he’d like to illustrate it just after the present illustration had been made & purchased!” (to Richard Ely Morse, 28 July 1932)

FRANCISCO GOYAFRANCISCO GOYA

““Another artist who went even Another artist who went even farther than Hogarth in depicting farther than Hogarth in depicting human bestiality is the Spaniard, human bestiality is the Spaniard, Goya.” (to William Lumley, 21 Goya.” (to William Lumley, 21 December 1931) December 1931)

GARGOYLESGARGOYLES

The Thing on the Doorstep The Thing on the Doorstep by Virgil Finlay (1933).by Virgil Finlay (1933).

“I liked the Finlay illustrations to my two tales—indeed, I believe Finlay is the best all-around artist Weird Tales has ever had. His drawing for the Doorstep was really an imaginative masterpiece. Wright has generously presented me with the originals of both Haunter and Doorstep pictures—and they far transcend the mechanical reproductions.” (to James F Morton, March 1937)

William William HogarthHogarth“This antient and pestilential reticulation of “This antient and pestilential reticulation of crumbling cottages and decaying doorways crumbling cottages and decaying doorways was like nothing I had ever beheld save in was like nothing I had ever beheld save in a dream—it was the 18th century of Goya, a dream—it was the 18th century of Goya, not of the Georges; of Hogarth, not of not of the Georges; of Hogarth, not of Horace Walpole.” (to Maurice W Moe, 24 Horace Walpole.” (to Maurice W Moe, 24 November 1923) November 1923)

““Under Lovemanic guidance I looked up Under Lovemanic guidance I looked up engravings of his work in the N.Y. Public engravings of his work in the N.Y. Public Library, & was enthralled by the darkly Library, & was enthralled by the darkly thunderous, apocalyptically majestic, & thunderous, apocalyptically majestic, & cataclysmically unearthly power of one cataclysmically unearthly power of one who, to me, seemed to hold the essence who, to me, seemed to hold the essence of cosmic mystery… He was, in a sense, a of cosmic mystery… He was, in a sense, a Milton among painters… Milton among painters…

Sidney Sime“Yes—Sime does splendid teamwork with Dunsany, seeming to share his bizarre & individual vision as few could. He is an old man, largely retired from active work, & Dunsany has to prod him considerably to get the few illustrations he wants.” (to Robert H Barlow, 14 March 1933)