Hugo Gerhard Simberg (24 June 1873 – 12 July 1917) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist.

[1][4] His biographer, Helena Ruuska, suspects that he battled an unknown disease, possibly syphilis, for a long time.

Its titular character appears in the shape of a winged angel with a bandaged head, borne on a stretcher by two somberly dressed boys, one of whom looks toward the viewer with a serious expression.

[1] The Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish released in 2007 a music video influenced by this painting, "Amaranth".

The central figures are reminiscent of the classic black-clad Grim Reaper, but paradoxically are tending to gardens, traditionally symbols of birth or renewal.