Isle of The Dead | Arnold Böcklin | 1883 Size:18"x12" flies through the starry night

flies through the starry night

Pether depicts the Bay of Naples illuminated by the fiery eruption of Mount Vesuvius

the figure lowers its hand toward the water below

created in the 1630s

and this piece reflects the darker themes often present in his literary work

Isle of The Dead | Arnold Böcklin | 1883 Size:18"x12" flies through the starry nightAll versions of Isle of the Dead depict a desolate and rocky islet seen across an expanse of dark water. A small rowing boat is just arriving at a water gate and seawall on shore. An oarsman maneuvers the boat from the stern. In the bow, facing the gate, is a standing figure clad entirely in white. Just ahead of the figure is a white, festooned object commonly interpreted as a coffin. The tiny islet is dominated by a dense grove of tall, dark cypress