Arnold Bocklin - Self Portrait 1893 - Art Print

Note: The picture with frame is for illustration purposes only. The print is unframed.
Sheet Dimensions: 8.5" × 9.75"

In his striking 1893 self-portrait, Arnold Böcklin presents himself not just as a painter—but as a man haunted by the specter of mortality. Famous for his Symbolist works that often explored the mystical and the macabre, Böcklin’s self-portrait is a theatrical and unsettling image, infused with existential tension and dark poetic flair.

Böcklin is depicted in three-quarter view, turning slightly toward the viewer. His eyes are intense, his brow furrowed—he appears alert, confrontational, even defiant. His palette and brushes are visible, identifying him clearly as an artist—but the focus is not on his work, it’s on his psychological state.
This self-portrait stands as one of the most iconic Symbolist self-images—a fusion of autobiography, myth, and metaphysical reflection.
“Death is behind me, but I face it with open eyes.” – The painting seems to say.