Een nachtmerrie 1876 - 1893

This illustrated print, titled "Een nachtmerrie", by an artist named E. Vavasseur, is presented as a sequence of cartoon panels. The progression from a serene fishing scene to a chaotic underwater world is striking. Vavasseur disrupts the conventional space through a series of narrative panels. Each segment depicts a shift in perspective, plunging the viewer into the fisherman's escalating nightmare. The subtle gradations in color, from gentle blues and greens to more menacing hues, accentuate the emotional tenor of each panel. The composition employs a structural device, with the grid format serving as a framework to contain the growing disorder. Yet, this structure is continuously destabilized by the increasing visual complexity and surreal transformation of familiar elements. The visual progression mirrors a semiotic shift, where the initial signs of tranquility give way to a phantasmagoric realm. Ultimately, it is the formal interplay between order and chaos that embodies the essence of a nightmare. The artist engages with the viewer, inviting a reinterpretation of reality through the lens of dreamlike distortion.