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Sea Idyll

The image features three figures in the water. A woman lies on a rock, breastfeeding an infant. Behind her, a man looks at her, while another child sits on her back, curiously gazing at the viewer. The scene conveys a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. The surroundings depict turbulent water and a dramatic sky. [AI-generated with ChatGPT]
Sea Idyll
The image features three figures in the water. A woman lies on a rock, breastfeeding an infant. Behind her, a man looks at her, while another child sits on her back, curiously gazing at the viewer. The scene conveys a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. The surroundings depict turbulent water and a dramatic sky. [AI-generated with ChatGPT]
Arnold Böcklin, Meeresidylle, 1887, Öl auf Holz, 167 x 224 cm, Belvedere, Wien, Inv.-Nr. 432
Foto: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Wien
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  • Sea Idyll

  • Date1887
    • Künstler*in Arnold Böcklin (1827 Basel – 1901 Fiesole)
  • Object typeGemälde
  • MediumOil on wood
  • Dimensions
    167 x 224 cm
  • SignatureSign. und dat. links unten: A. Böcklin 1887
  • Inventory number432
  • Locations Derzeit nicht ausgestellt
  • The merman has grabbed the seal firmly by the scruff of its neck. His child gawps in astonishment at the catch, while the mother only just keeps hold of a sleeping infant. Böcklin’s Sea Idyll can be interpreted as a bourgeois family, from whom the painter distances himself with subtle irony. Instead of a table, the family has gathered around a rock, while still assuming the classic gender roles: the man is the family’s breadwinner, the woman looks after the children. Yet this family is free from social norms and constraints. The nude merfolk move through their element, water, without shame, but also with no overt displays of eroticism.

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