Artwork
Oedipus cursing his son Polynices
Oedipus cursing his son Polynices is a watercolor work on paper by the Neoclassicist artist Henry Fuseli. It dates from 1786 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The composition centers on a blind, bearded Oedipus who thrusts an angry finger toward his son Polynices, who kneels with his face concealed.
Henry Fuseli’s 1786 watercolour captures a tense encounter from the Oedipus myth. The composition centers on a blind, bearded Oedipus who thrusts an angry finger toward his son Polynices, who kneels with his face concealed. A third figure crouches nearby, head bowed, while a fourth stands in the background, gazing upward. The work is rendered in muted greens and browns, with the flesh tones highlighted in warm yellows and reds.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates the moment after Oedipus discovers his tragic deeds, confronting Polynices with curses and blame. Polynices’ downcast posture and hidden face convey shame and helplessness, while Oedipus’ outstretched arm embodies his fury and the weight of his self‑imposed punishment. The surrounding figures amplify the emotional turmoil, suggesting the broader familial collapse that follows the revelation of Oedipus’s sins.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, Fuseli employs a limited palette of earth tones to create a somber atmosphere, allowing the brighter skin tones to draw the viewer’s eye to the central figures. The brushwork is fluid, with swirling lines that enhance the sense of chaos. Contrasting light and shadow accentuate the dramatic gestures, a hallmark of Fuseli’s interest in the theatrical and the psychological.
History & Provenance
Created in 1786, the watercolour reflects Fuseli’s early engagement with classical subjects and his fascination with intense emotional states. The work entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of 18th‑century British art, accessible for public viewing and scholarly study.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Fuseli was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, and writer on art who spent much of his career in Britain.
King Lear
Lupta lui Hercule cu centaurul Nessus
The Combat: Woman Pleading for the Vanquished
The Angel Releasing St. Peter from Prison
Hercules tötet den Riesen Cacus und raubt die Rinder des Geryoneus
Untitled
Apollo tötet die Kinder der Niobe
Killer of Darius before Alexander (King Porus and Alexander the Great)
The Repentant Prodigal's Return to his Father
The Creation of Eve
Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices