In the Sea
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.)
Classification
oil on panel
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
110507
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Arnold 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 in an idiosyncratic, often sensual manner. In the Sea, part of a series of paintings of mythological subjects, displays an unsettling, earthy realism. Mermaids and tritons frolic in the water with a lusty energy and abandon verging on coarseness. Occupying the center of the composition is a harpplaying...