"Island of the Dead" - a picture of Arnold Böcklin. Description and photo

In 1827 an artist was born in the Swiss city of Basel, whose work greatly influenced the development of painting and culture in general. The name of Arnold Beklin was a household name in the circles of Symbolist artists, and the famous painting by Becklin "The Island of the Dead" became a source of inspiration for many influential figures of world art.

Arnold Becklin

The future founder of surrealism was born in the family of the prosperous merchant silk Kristjana Friedrich Beklin. Arnold Becklin received his art education in Düsseldorf and, despite his unique style and variety of techniques, he is ranked among the Düsseldorf School of Painting.

Teachers appreciated Becklin as a very promising student and therefore, while still a student, Arnold often traveled abroad, namely to Brussels and Antwerp, where the young artist copied the great works of Dutch and Flanders masters. Another professional trip in the student years led Becklin to Paris, where for about a year the artist worked in the Louvre.

In 1850, the artist arrived in Rome, where classical architecture, mild climate and a rich culture forced him to stay for seven years. In Italy, Beklin married a local girl. They had a large family - 14 children, of whom only six have reached adulthood. For various reasons, the artist and his family often moved, for some time he spent in Weimar, where he taught painting at the academy. In Basel, Becklin was engaged in monumental painting on order, the last years the artist spent in Italy, in his villa near Florence.

Symbolism and the "Island of the Dead"

At the very beginning of his career, Beklin painted landscapes and urban architecture. Over time, his work has acquired a mythological focus, but the most famous works of the Swiss painter are listed in the genre of symbolism. However, he was also very fond of landscapes and motifs of classical mythology. For example, Arnold Becklin's most famous work, The Island of the Dead, is a picture that is both a landscape, a mythological plot, and a complex work with complex, heavy symbolism and a lot of secrets.

In the picture against the background of a cloudy sky, there is a small island washed by a mirror-like water surface. On the island grow tall dark cypresses, and in the rocks there are rectangular holes reminiscent of crypts. On the water's edge a wide boat is sent to the island, in which there are two. One of the figures is wrapped in a white cloth, like a shroud, and stands in front of a white rectangular box, similar to a coffin.

Among the many interpretations, the most popular version is the original playing of ancient Greek mythology. According to her, the souls of the deceased heroes, chosen by the gods and outstanding personalities get a place on a secluded island in the center of the Styx River. The figure in white is often referred to as a friend of Charon.

The theme of death was one of the most frequent in Beklin's work. It is noteworthy that until the "Island of the Dead" Arnold Beklin never gave names to his paintings, but in correspondence with the customer of the first version of the film he personally named his work Die Toteninsel. For several years, the artist wrote six variants of the picture, five of which were written by Becklin himself, and the sixth he wrote with his son Carlo in the last year of his life.

First option

Order for the "Island of the Dead" Becklin received from his patron, philanthropist Alex Gunther. The first version of the painting was written in the Florentine studio of the artist. Becklin finished the painting in 1880, but, like Leonardo with "Jokkonda", did not want to part with it. The first "Island of the Dead" remained in the possession of its creator until his death.

The reason for this attachment to the painting is that many critics call the death of Becklin's daughter. The baby died in 1877 and was buried in an English cemetery in the Italian city of Florence. This cemetery is planted with high cypresses, in which researchers of the Swiss symbolist creativity catch the resemblance to the picture.

«Picture for dreams»

During the work on the first version of the painting Florence Becklin's studio was visited by Maria Berna, the wealthy widow of financier Georg von Bern. Probably, impressed by the unfinished canvas, the woman ordered the artist a "picture for dreams." For her, Becklin wrote the second version of the "island", which was smaller in size, written on a wooden panel and made in a different, brighter color scheme.

It is noteworthy that the most mysterious element of the painting "Island of the Dead", namely the boat with the figure of Charon, was added to the composition at the request of Maria Bern, mourning her husband. Later, Beklin drew the boat not only on the second version of the picture, but also on the first.

After the death of the hostess of the second version of the Island of the Dead, the painting was given to a gallery in the city of Lucerne, from which it was bought by the Gottfried Keller Foundation. Today, this famous painting is exhibited in the New York Metropolitan Museum.

Painting for Fritz Gurlita

The third, the most popular version of the painting was ordered by the collector Fritz Gurlit. He, like the first two, was written in Florence and finished in 1883. This is the lightest of the existing variants of the picture. In addition to the lighter gamut, the third version of the "Island" is distinguished by dynamism - the tops of slender cypresses bend under the gusts of the wind, and the water surface is not so mirrored.

This version is most popular due to the fact that it was with it that Max Cleinger made a high-quality etching, from which Fritz Gurlit printed reproductions. In the late XIX - early XX centuries, these reproductions were very popular in Germany, where the fashion for them came to other countries. Today the Old National Gallery of Berlin exhibits the original painting in a permanent collection.

Financial difficulties and the fourth variant of the picture

A year after the completion of work on the third version of the "Island of the Dead", a large family of Becklin faced financial difficulties, prompting the artist to write another version of his most popular painting, which he sold to the famous collector, Baron Hans Thyssen-Bornemisse de Cason.

As materials for the fourth version, Beklin used copper and oil paints. Unfortunately, this picture could not survive the Second World War and was destroyed, presumably in Berlin or Rotterdam. There was only her black and white photo.

Canvas for the Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig

Two years later, Beklin again returned to the "Island of the Dead." The painting was ordered by the Museum of Fine Arts of the German city of Leipzig. It is noteworthy that this time the artist preferred tempera to oil paints.

The fifth picture clearly shows the rower directing the boat to the island, besides, the boat itself is much closer to the target, in comparison with the other four options. Interestingly, while the main composition of the "Island of the Dead" remains unchanged, each version has small differing details. The color scheme of the six canvases is also different.

Painting "The Island of the Dead" in the Hermitage

The sixth version of Arnold Becklin's painting, which is in a private collection, but exhibited in the St. Petersburg Hermitage, is the most little-known. Probably because between the writing of the fifth and sixth versions of the "Island of the Dead" almost five years have passed. It is interesting that Becklin wrote this version in co-authorship with his son Carlo in the last year of his life.

Cultural phenomenon of its time

By a strange coincidence, it was this picture of Becklin that became the cult work of his time. It is the "Island of the Dead" - a picture that brought lifetime fame to its author. In certain cultural circles, Becklin was practically deified, calling the "Michelangelo of the New Era".

According to contemporaries, "The Island of the Dead" is a picture that was an integral part of the interior of both advanced youth and cultural intelligentsia and provincial backwoods of the beginning of the 20th century.

Reproductions of the third version of the painting flew all over Europe. Fans of Beklin's creativity, namely the "Island of the Dead" were the greatest cultural and historical figures. Apollinaire, Clemenceau, Freud, Dali, Kandinsky and Rachmaninov were impressed by the magical atmosphere of the picture and its influence on the audience. The third option was purchased by Adolf Hitler and hung in the Reich Chancellery.

"The Island of the Dead" - a picture that has become a source of inspiration for many other works of art in painting, as well as in music, cinema, poetry and sculpture.