The fact that she is wearing white, which is a
colour purity and innocence, whilst
there are red curtains behind, which is
colour of passion and lust creates a
contrast.
The contrast may symbolise
the evil surrounding her.
It also intesifies the
woman's purity
The Goblin
The Gobling is also perched on the
woman's chest, which may represent
the sexulisation of women at the time
It may represent society
and the lengths woman
went to live by its
standards
The Goblin is sitting on
her dreams-referring
back to title.
It may be some sort of inner
evil she is trying to let out
It may be some sort of alter ego
she si trying to express, as the
Romatic Era was all about
expressing oneself.
The horse/donkey
It may represent how people
used to look at the bad
things, but never intervene.
Donkeys are often associated
with stupidity and this may
represent how stupid people
were to follow society
The word for a female
horse is mare-nightmare.
The goblin could've
used this mare to
travel to the lady
Horses also represent freedom and this
may show how close the woman is
freedom, but is weighed down by one
thing-her demon (goblin)
The horse has bulging eye, as if
its trying to take in all the action
and then gossip about it to
friends.
Her position
She is in a position of
vunrerabillity and is
open to attack
Her position looks as if
she's in a state of horror
Having a nightmare
Colour Scheme
Everything around the woman is
dark apart from her
Showing that she's the only
purity in the painting
The cutains
The curtains are blood red just like the
ones in theatres, which may imply that
this woman's 'nightmare' is all just a
show for society
The Artist
Some people say it has something
to do with Fuseli's love life
He was rejected by a
woman he loved over
another man
The painting represents his desire to have
her-the goblin may be him, the woman is his
love and the horse is his means of travel to
get to the woman
Another interpretation is that the painting
may represent the sexual desire he has for
the woman an that the woman is in a state
of pleasure not horror.
The table
Upon the table are some
mysterious objects possibly
medicine or alcohol
She could be realesing her demons using
the medicine or alcohol or comited
suicide and released her demons