It will be the biggest display of his art for 30 years.Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli, Blake and the Romantic Imagination will run from 15 February to 1 May at Tate Britain.. It is now owned by the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart which is lending it for the new exhibition.Other Fuseli paintings on show include several not previously exhibited in the UK. Legend has it that Fuseli was inspired to paint it after eating raw pork which gave him terrible dreams.Satan Starting from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear was a work long thought lost until it re-emerged at auction in 1988 - 13 years after the last Fuseli show in Britain - and was purchased by the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The literature about Blake often takes him in isolation, but when you see [Fuseli and Blake's] work together, Blake's looks less eccentric."One of the highlights of the exhibition will be The Nightmare (1781) by Fuseli which shows a sleeping woman, oppressed by foul creatures who appear to be in her nightmare. There were loads of criticisms saying Fuseli's paintings were all about fairies and fantasy and weird stuff, but that's what makes them so appealing.
It was as if no longer believing in the supernatural enabled the public to enjoy stories about the supernatural."They didn't believe in it but they could consume it and appreciate it as entertainment," he said "It's like a guilty pleasure. The area is famous for its birdlife, which includes green woodpeckers, ring ouzels, stonechats, kestrels and buzzards.. When the wildest imaginations of the 18th and 19th centuries unleashed scenes of horror in paintings now regarded as Gothic classics, public belief in the supernatural was already on the wane. But a new exhibition of true Hallowe'en-style nightmares - opening at Tate Britain in February - looks set to prove that, on canvas, witches still exert a scary attraction. Important works, such as Henry Fuseli's Satan Starting from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear, which has not been shown publicly in Britain since it was unveiled in 1780, will go on display in what the Tate claims will be the first exhibition to explore the British taste for Gothic.Fantastic and supernatural themes dominated British culture from 1770 to 1830 and went on to inspire generations of authors, artists and film-makers from Patrick McGrath to the Chapman brothers.This exhibition will draw upon recent research which has transformed understanding of the period and of the two artists at the heart of the show - Fuseli, a Swiss-born painter who became one of the most important figures in the Romantic movement, and William Blake, Britain's most famous artistic visionary.Martin Myrone, curator of the show which will be called Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli, Blake and the Romantic Imagination, said both Fuseli and Blake were often seen as eccentric one-offs.Yet they were influenced by each other and were part of a broader movement of artists, which included Joseph Wright of Derby and George Romney, influenced by the striking mix of high and popular culture - such as shamelessly erotic works inspired by Shakespeare or Milton - that made the Gothic such a sensation.Dr Myrone said that by the time of the Enlightenment, audiences had a different relationship with the supernatural than previous generations had enjoyed.
Moat of Charnwood Lodge is a National Nature Reserve, part of the ancient Charnwood Forest and previously accessible only either along one public footpath or by permit. A breeding home for bats and butterflies, it is full of scarce ferns and fungi.* CASTLEMORTON COMMONThis is a huge area of common land in the Malvern Hills, beloved of Edward Elgar, which offer fantastic views both east and west. The new access land links existing rights of way.* WHARNCLIFFE CHASEThe opening up of this area of Yorkshire, flanked by two nature reserves and newly opened woodland, creates a large swathe of countryside now with unrestricted access.* CHARNWOOD LODGE, TIMBERWOOD HILL AND WARREN HILLSAreas of heathland and woodland just outside Coalville, in Leicestershire. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Natural Nature Reserve because of its unique geology and heathland, the Shropshire Way long-distance footpath follows its ridge.* THE DRAGON'S BACK HILLSSituated south of Buxton, in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire's Dragon's Back hills offer beautiful new walking opportunities and stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The area is nationally important for wildlife, plants and insects, especially butterflies.* THE QUARTZITE TORS, STIPERSTONESThese were well-known even in Roman times, when the area was used for lead mining. An area of dry, flat heathland, it is popular with ground nesting birds, such as the Dartford warbler and the wheatear, which may mean restrictions on access at breeding times.* WEAVER HILLSLying just to the south of the Peak District in Staffordshire, this limestone landscape has never enjoyed the same protection as the rest of the Peak District National Park until now.* IVINGHOE BEACONPart of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty this Iron Age hill fort in Buckinghamshire commands spectacular views across the Vale of Aylesbury and has long been a popular location. They include a mere pool formed by melting ice from a glacier.* RENDLESHAM FORESTOne of four Forestry Commission sites in the Suffolk coastal area being opened for the first time, this is a 1,420 hectare area of mixed conifer and broadleaved woodland.
