In the Sea

1883

Böcklin’s art had little in common with Impressionism or the academic art of his time. Instead, his depictions of demigods in naturalistic settings interpret themes from Classical mythology. Böcklin also painted mysterious landscapes that made him an important contributor to the international Symbolist movement and appealed to Surrealist artists, like Giorgio de Chirico, who declared, “Each of [Böcklin’s] works is a shock.”

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Arnold Böcklin (Swiss, 1827–1901)

Date

1883

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

86.5 × 115 cm (34 3/8 × 45 3/4 in.); Framed: 130.8 × 158.8 × 17.8 cm (51 1/2 × 62 1/2 × 7 in.)

Origin

Switzerland

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Joseph Winterbotham Collection