The hallucinating art of Heinrich Füssli.
Christian Baumann, Franziska Lentzsch, Marianne Regard, Claudio Bassetti
Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience 2007 DOI: 10.1159/000102883 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Füssli's painting anticipates the scientific description of sleep paralysis, reflecting the phenomenon through artistic imagery that aligns with modern neurobiological and pathophysiological understandings. |
Abstract
Der Nachtmahr (The Nightmare) was painted 1781 by the Swiss-born artist Heinrich Füssli (1741-1825). Neurologists, sleep medicine specialists and sleep researchers are familiar with this popular work, which became a symbol for the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Notably, Füssli created this work decades before the first scientific description of the syndrome. Therefore, the following chapter aims to reflect the painting against the background of Füssli's biography, neuropsychological interpretations, and of pathophysiological and neurobiological considerations on sleep paralysis.