Arnold Böcklin was a symbolist Swiss painter born in Basel in 1827.
Arnold Böcklin at a glance
- Born: 1827, Basel, Switzerland
- Died: 1901, Fiesole, Italy
- Nationality: Swiss
- Known for: Dreamlike, mythological and allegorical paintings
- Style or Movement: Symbolism
- Medium: Painting
- Education: Düsseldorf Academy, under Johann Wilhelm Schirmer
- Notable works: Isle of the Dead, Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (1872)
“The painter rejected the naturalistic trends of his time and created symbolic, mythological works.”
Arnold Böcklin studied at the Düsseldorf academy under Schirmer from 1845 to 1847 and became a friend of Anselm Feuerbach, and he is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
Arnold Böcklin traveled to Antwerp and Brussels to copy works of Flemish and Dutch masters, and then went to Paris, working at the Louvre and painting several landscapes.
Arnold Böcklin set out for Rome in March 1850, and the sights of the city brought allegorical and mythological figures into his compositions, influencing his mature style.
Arnold Böcklin married Angela Rosa Lorenza Pascucci in Rome in 1853, and the couple had fourteen children, though many died young, and Böcklin himself nearly succumbed to typhoid in 1859.
- Born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1827.
- Associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
- Painted mythological and allegorical works.
- Married in Rome in 1853.
- Died in Fiesole, Italy, in 1901.
Arnold Böcklin acheived fame through works like “Isle of the Dead” and “The Battle of the Centaurs,” and his paintings are known for their dreamlike, symbolic quality and dramatic lighting.
Arnold Böcklin painted “Portrait of Myself with Death Playing a Violin” in 1872, and his work became highly influencial, inspiring later artists including the Surrealists and even filmmakers like Federico Fellini.