Arnold Böcklin: Gothic Paintings For Inspiration

Arnold Böcklin was a Swiss painter; known for his symbolistic paintings with gothic themes.

He was born in Switzerland in 1827; and had to stand up to his father in order to chase his dream of becoming a painter. After attending art school in 1845; he went on a grand tour of Europe; as was the custom then; visiting Brussels, Antwerp, Switzerland and Paris.

Arnold Bocklin lived in some of the most important cultural cities of the period such as Weimar; Florence and Rome. He was keen on Greco-Roman art; and took most of his inspiration from it.

He had strong opinions about his craft; such as:

"Just as it is poetry's task to express feelings, painting must provoke them too. A picture must give the spectator as much food for thought as a poem and must make the same kind of impression as a piece of music..."

"Painting should pervade the soul in the same way, and as long as it does not do this it is nothing more than a brainless handicraft."

I've selected three of his pictures, which you can see below. For more, visit the sites devoted Arnold Bocklin's work mentioned at the bottom of the post.

http://www.artmagick.com/pictures/artist.aspx?artist=arnold-bocklin&page=1

http://www.arnoldbocklin.com/index.htm

Shadowy Light: Eugène Carrière's paintings

Eugène Carrière was a French Symbolist painter who worked in the 2nd half of the 19th century. He was friends with Rodin and inspired the likes of Matisse and Picasso. His paintings usually have light themes, such as a mother with a baby, which were inspired on his personal life, but they are eerie and smoky, as if they were showing ghosts in the night.

Eugène Carrière was much influenced by Rubens, whose works he first saw when he was made a prisoner in Dresden at the time of the Franco-Prussian War, in 1870.

About art, and more specifically about Rodin’s works, Eugène Carrière once wrote to a friend: “The work of art is the most sensitive manifestation of the desire imposed on man. A work of Rodin will speak of the power of the loyalty to an inner life; it shows that the combination of our thoughts is the force revealed, that this higher interest is the true practice, that any other one is temporary and miserable. Embellishing life through art is to enrich our knowledge with the connection of man with nature… This also means that only the combination of our thoughts is fruitful for the benefit of preparing a more conscious humanity.” [1]

See below a selection of Eugène Carrière’s paintings. View more in his official site:

More info: Wikipedia Artmagick Official Fan Site