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Künstler*in Emil Jakob Schindler (1842 Wien – 1892 Westerland)

Object typePainting
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
207 x 271 cm
SignatureSign. und dat. rechts unten: SCHINDLER / 1891
Inventory number2548
Locations Derzeit nicht ausgestellt
Emil Jakob Schindler chose a monumental format for his allegory about the transience of things. Surrounded by steep rock faces we see a lonely cemetery. Ancient cypresses rise up against the overcast sky, the gravestones are overgrown with plants. Life and decay meet in this image. It is only on closer scrutiny that we see a monk lighting a candle in front of a freshly dug grave. Schindler was inspired by the cemetery in Gravosa near Dubrovnik although the striking scene from nature and the majority of the architecture were imagined by the artist. In 1892 Schindler was awarded a gold medal at the Munich World’s Fair for this Symbolist painting.