The Changeling c. 1780

Editor: Here we have "The Changeling," created around 1780 by Henry Fuseli. It’s a print using drawing and gouache on paper and resides at the Art Institute of Chicago. I find the tonal range striking, almost unsettling in its stark contrasts. The composition is peculiar – the arrangement of the figures is unsettling. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Focusing on the formal elements, consider the dynamic interplay of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro, employed to heighten the dramatic tension. Note how the composition is structured through opposing diagonals, lending a sense of imbalance. Are you struck by anything specific within these visual relationships? Editor: The figures certainly have an unbalanced arrangement with how light hits the bodies. I find the smooth line of drapery versus the hatching effect used to define the shadowy spaces very compelling. How do these technical choices contribute to the piece’s meaning? Curator: Fuseli utilizes these textural juxtapositions to generate unease and ambiguity. Observe how the smoothness of the drapery almost camouflages, drawing attention to the monstrous infant as the painting's primary focus. The starkness in material application isolates form from the background and is key to communicating thematic concerns. The horror does not lie with subject, but technique. Editor: That’s fascinating! Seeing the smoothness of the draping against the grotesque baby brings out the disturbing contrast. It also suggests that surface appearances are deceptive, like beauty masking the grotesque. Curator: Precisely. By paying close attention to the materiality, tonal values, and compositional balance, we may see beyond conventional interpretation and grasp its complex nature and message. Editor: I appreciate how you brought into focus these opposing forms – smoothness and hatching – so that I can analyze the overall message more deeply. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on the aesthetic choices alone, a new world of interpretation is open.