Isle of the Dead (painting)
The tiny islet is dominated by a dense grove of tall, dark cypress trees—associated by long-standing tradition with cemeteries and mourning—which is closely hemmed in by precipitous cliffs.
Böcklin himself provided no public explanation as to the meaning of the painting, though he did describe it as "a dream picture: it must produce such a stillness that one would be awed by a knock on the door".
[3][4] The title, which was conferred upon it by the art dealer Fritz Gurlitt in 1883, was not specified by Böcklin, though it does derive from a phrase in an 1880 letter he sent to the painting's original commissioner.
[5] Not knowing the history of the early versions of the painting (see below), many observers have interpreted the oarsman as representing the boatman Charon, who ferried souls to the underworld in Greek mythology.
Financial imperatives resulted in a fourth version in 1884, which was ultimately acquired by the entrepreneur and art collector Baron Heinrich Thyssen and hung at his Berliner Bank subsidiary.
A sixth version, allegedly created in 1901 and acquired in 2022 from a private collection, can be found at the State Hermitage (General Staff building) in Saint Petersburg.
[10] The German survival horror video game "SIGNALIS" by rose-engine studio references all versions of the painting[27] several times, as it plays a crucial role in understanding the relationship between the main character and her lover.
"Destiny 2: The Witch Queen" developed by Bungie features an alien depiction of the Isle of the Dead in both a cinematic appearance as well as a playable location during a fight in the throne of Savathûn, goddess of trickery (voiced by Debra Wilson).
[28] In a promotional video for the Japanese mobile role-playing game "Fate/Grand Order", a depiction of the Isle of the Dead can be seen alongside Artoria Pendragon.
[29] A demo version of the Japanese indie game Brutal Complex features the painting among other pieces, such as those by Salvador Dalí and Leonardo da Vinci, as part of its environments.
