“There’s something those fellows catch—beyond life”: Visual Suggestions in Lovecraft’s Narrative

Abstract

The analysis of the relationship between Howard Phillips Lovecraft and figurative art is essential to understand the origins and nature of what is defined today “Lovecraftian aesthetics.” Generally regarded as the father of cosmic horror, Lovecraft reveals his interest in visual art through letters and stories that mention painters and illustrators who, as he himself acknowledges, manage to capture “something beyond life.” The aim of this essay is not only to highlight the visual roots of Lovecraftian aesthetics, but also to define its main characteristics, tracing them in the works of artists explicitly referenced by Lovecraft, such as Johann Heinrich Füssli, Francisco Goya, Anthony Angarola, Sidney Sime, Gustave Doré, John Martin, his friend Clark Ashton Smith (himself a writer of weird fiction), and Nikolaj Roerich. Furthermore, by adopting a reversed perspective, the essay also aims to suggest that Lovecraft’s literary universe can influence the interpretation of the artworks he admired. This reciprocal interaction between the written works and the visual tradition Lovecraft engaged with highlights the broader cultural impact of his vision, extending his aesthetics beyond the realm of literature into visual art. Improving upon previous contributions that either simply list the artists admired by Lovecraft or specifically focus on one of them, this essay adopts a comparative approach to identify and examine the numerous passages within Lovecraftian narrative where the interplay between literary expression and visual art emerges with particular intensity and significance.