Art History / Conversation

When a painting goes viral. Arnold Böcklin, Isle of the Dead

There are many things in paintings that attract and captivate viewers, including aesthetic and emotional experiences. That’s the first impression that art creates before the viewer goes further and gets more information to discover more about the painting. Let’s take a look at some paintings by famous artists that cause immediate emotional interaction, as well as some that need explanation before the emotions are evoked.

Arnold Böcklin and Symbolism

Arnold Böcklin’s masterpiece, known as “Isle of the Dead” (or “Die Toteninsel” in German), stands as a testament to the Swiss Symbolist artist’s genius. This iconic painting gained immense popularity in the early 20th century, with prints adorning the walls of countless homes across central Europe. Its haunting allure captivated the hearts of art enthusiasts, and the prints could be found almost in every Berlin household.

The popularity of the painting led Böcklin to create five versions of this evocative piece between 1880 and 1901, which now find their homes in prestigious exhibitions in Basel, New York City, Berlin, and Leipzig. Prepare to be transported to a realm where beauty and mystery intertwine, as you explore the enigmatic “Isle of the Dead.”

All five created versions have the same plot. As the boat draws near, a small island adorned with cypress trees comes into view. Occupying the boat are two individuals: a rower and a figure enveloped in white fabric. Positioned before the figure rests a lengthy rectangular box resembling a coffin. Many analysts of the rower’s artwork often draw connections to Charon, while the expanse of water that the boat traverses is reminiscent of the rivers Styx or Acheron. Additionally, the presence of cypress trees, commonly linked to death in Southern Europe and frequently found in cemeteries, adds a symbolic layer to the scene.

Here, it would be good to say that Böcklin lived and created when the symbolism was booming. Symbolism emerged as an art movement in the late 19th century, with the primary objective of conveying profound and universal truths through the use of symbolic language and metaphorical imagery. This movement arose as a response to the prevailing trends of naturalism and realism, offering an alternative approach to representing reality. In other words, symbolism embodied the fusion of form and emotion, blending the tangible world with the artist’s personal and subjective experiences. That’s very important to know in understanding this painting and why it became so popular.

The story behind the Isle of the Dead

Isle of the Dead that Böcklin created for Maria Berna

In 1880, a woman visited the studio of artist Arnold Böcklin in Florence, near the English Cemetery. This woman happened to be a thirty-four-year-old widow named Marie Berna, whose late husband, Georg von Berna, was a German financier. Marie Berna was on the verge of entering her second marriage, this time with a politician Waldemar, Count Oriola. It is likely that, in an attempt to find solace for her departed first husband, who had passed away fifteen years prior, she commissioned a painting from the renowned Swiss artist. The purpose of this painting was to capture and convey her grief for her deceased spouse.

Böcklin eagerly accepted the offered task, as it resonated with his emotional state at the time. Three years prior, the artist had endured a personal tragedy: the heartbreaking loss of his seven-month-old daughter. Poignantly, the English Cemetery, situated right in front of his workshop windows, served as the final resting place for his beloved child.
Böcklin wrote to Marie that within this realm, one may perceive the gentle touch of a light, warm breeze creating ripples upon the sea, evoking a desire to preserve the solemn silence without uttering a single word.

The painting was soon completed. Initially, the original version depicted solely an enigmatic figure draped in a white shroud within the boat. However, the customer expressed their dissatisfaction with this arrangement, prompting Maria Berna to request some modifications. Specifically, the customer desired the addition of the coffin and a woman seated at the oars in the boat. This painting is now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

The very first painting that Böcklin made for his patron he eventually left for himself and now it’s in the Kunstmuseum Basel. After these two paintings, he made another slightly different three versions.
The third rendition of the painting was completed in 1883 specifically for Böcklin’s dealer, Fritz Gurlitt. Fifty years later, this particular version was put up for sale and caught the attention of Adolf Hitler, who acquired the painting, which now can be found at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

The fourth version created in 1884 was ultimately acquired by the entrepreneur and art collector Baron Heinrich Thyssen and hung at his Berliner Bank subsidiary. However, it was burned after a bomb attack during World War II. The Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig commissioned the fifth version of the artwork in 1886, which remains on display there to this day. In the final year of his life, Böcklin collaborated with his son Carlo to create a sixth version of the painting that can be found in the Hermitage Museum located in Saint-Petersburg.

How the Isle of the Dead got viral and influenced Europe

The painting gained worldwide fame due to the high-quality reproductions that were widely circulated and published by art dealer Fritz Gurlitt. These mass-produced prints became popular decor in homes across the globe during that period. Vladimir Nabokov mentioned in his 1934 novel “Despair” that these prints could be found in almost every home in Berlin. Isle of the Dead also adorned notable spaces such as Sigmund Freud’s study and Lenin’s room while he was in exile in Zurich. Even previously critical art critics acknowledged Böcklin’s talent, considering him to be one of the leading artists of his time, and Isle of the Dead became an iconic figure of the Symbolism art movement.

The True Painting of the “Isle of the Dead” by Arnold Böcklin at the Hour of the Angelus, Salvador Dali

Isle of the Dead inspired Sergei Rachmaninov to compose his symphonic poem as well as Salvador Dali to create The True Painting of the “Isle of the Dead” by Arnold Böcklin at the Hour of the Angelus.

From the marketing point of view, the success of the painting was provided by the following factors: