Sleeping Woman with a Cupid (Hush) 1780 - 1790

Henry Fuseli created this pen and brown ink drawing, "Sleeping Woman with a Cupid (Hush)," using decisive lines and tonal contrasts. The composition divides into distinct zones, each contributing to the overall tension between sleep and awakening. Fuseli uses the semiotic language of Neoclassicism, but undermines its clarity. The sleeping woman, draped in classical garb, leans against a column inscribed with ‘SIGA’—Latin for silence. Above her, Cupid draws back his arrow, and behind her, the sharp, diagonal lines could indicate foliage or just a screen. This juxtaposition of elements creates a deliberate ambiguity: is Cupid about to wake her, or is he demanding silence? The structural device here is the use of classical forms to convey a Romantic sensibility. The implied movement of Cupid's action and the woman’s languid pose introduce dynamism into what might otherwise be a static scene, destabilizing fixed meanings of love and sleep. Fuseli challenges us to interpret whether this is a moment of gentle awakening or one fraught with potential disruption.