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Student Artwork Guide

Autoportrait 3

Arnold Böcklin

Name Class Date
Arnold Böcklin, Autoportrait 3. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Arnold Böcklin topimpressionists.com/en/artists/arnold-bocklin/
Artist’s dates
1827 – 1901
Movement
Symbolism Pictures where objects stand for ideas — a flower or a door meaning something beyond itself.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Arnold Böcklin died in 1901; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1971.

Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 11, 2026

Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1820
  2. 1830
  3. 1840
  4. 1850
  5. 1860
  6. 1870
  7. 1880
  8. 1890
  9. 1900

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 74 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1877 Main working years: 1877–1887 Late works: from 1887

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Espresso #463529

    Catalogued palette

    • #463529
    • #9C897E
    • #1C0E10
    • #DAD8D7

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Espresso
    Intensity
    Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Discordant Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Arnold Böcklin over the last twelve months — 32 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 26.1%4,200 visits
    2. 2 Slovakia 12.4%2,000 visits
    3. 3 United States of America 7.5%1,200 visits
    4. 4 Argentina 4.3%700 visits
    5. 5 Colombia 4.3%700 visits
    6. 6 Germany 4.3%700 visits
    7. 7 Spain 4.3%700 visits
    8. 8 Italy 4.3%700 visits
    9. 9 Brazil 3.1%500 visits
    10. 10 Netherlands 3.1%500 visits
    11. · 22 other countries 26.3%4,200 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Arnold Böcklin

    1. 1 The isle of the dead (Version 3), 1883 18.2%4,600 visits
    2. 2 Island of the Dead (Version 5), 1886 16.2%4,100 visits
    3. 3 La Guerre, 1896 14.6%3,700 visits
    4. 4 The isle of the dead (First Version), 1880 13.8%3,500 visits
    5. 5 Centaur Watching Fish, 1878 2.4%600 visits
    6. 6 The Isle of the Dead (Version 2), 1880 2.0%500 visits
    7. 7 Island of the Dead, 1880 1.6%400 visits
    8. 8 The Awakening of Spring, 1880 1.6%400 visits
    9. 9 Nymphe 1.6%400 visits
    10. 10 Autorretrato con la muerte tocando el violín 1.2%300 visits
    11. 11 Castle at the seaside (Murder in the Castle) 1.2%300 visits
    12. 12 Pente rocheuse des monts Albains 1.2%300 visits
    13. 13 Les Cavaliers maures 1.2%300 visits
    14. 14 Pont dans un paysage de montagne 0.8%200 visits
    15. 15 Spring Evening, 1879 0.8%200 visits
    16. 16 Pan Dancing with Children 0.8%200 visits
    17. 17 The plague, 1898 0.8%200 visits
    18. 18 Pan Amongst the Reeds, 1857 0.8%200 visits
    19. 19 Villa en bord de mer (première version) 0.8%200 visits
    20. 32 Autoportrait 3 this painting 0.4%100 visits

    Together these works take 82.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 180 works by this artist, of which 59 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 32 of them, with 0.4% of that attention (100 visits). The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 11, 2026

    Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Arnold Böcklin

    Born in Basel, Switzerland

    early life and training

    arnold böcklin, a swiss symbolist painter, was born on october 16, 1827, in basel, switzerland. his father, christian frederick böcklin, descended from an old family of schaffhausen and engaged in the silk trade. arnold's mother, ursula lippe, was a native of the same city. he studied at the düsseldorf academy under schirmer, becoming a friend of anselm feuerbach. böcklin is associated with the düsseldorf school of painting.

    artistic career and symbolism

    böcklin's artistic journey took him to various cities, including paris, where he worked at the louvre, and rome, where he was influenced by its sights. his work often featured allegorical and mythological figures in settings involving classical architecture, exploring themes of death and mortality.

    great park, one of his earliest works, showcased ancient mythology.

    nymph and satyr (1858) and sappho (1859) were notable works from this period.

    böcklin's portrait of myself, with death playing a violin (1872) exemplified his unique style.

    legacy and influence

    böcklin is best known for his five versions of the isle of the dead (1880-1886), which evoked the english cemetery in florence, where his daughter was buried. his work influenced younger artists like hans thoma and inspired several late-romantic composers.

    clement greenberg described böcklin's work as "one of the most consummate expressions" of its time.

    böcklin's style overlapped with the pre-raphaelites, emphasizing the world of dreams and mysticism.

    museums and collections

    böcklin's work can be found in various museums, including:

    öffentliche kunstsammlung (basel, switzerland)

    kunstmuseum basel (switzerland)

    museum kunsthaus zürich (zürich, switzerland)

    explore more of böcklin's work and the symbolist movement on AllPaintingsStore:

    arnold böcklin's artworks

    symbolist painting on wikipedia

    kunstmuseum basel (switzerland): a comprehensive guide

    Where to read more

    • The artist Arnold Böcklin topimpressionists.com/en/artists/arnold-bocklin/
    • Similar works More works to compare topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Autoportrait 3

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Böcklin, Arnold. Autoportrait 3. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/
    APA
    Böcklin, Arnold (n.d.). Autoportrait 3 [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/
    Chicago
    Arnold Böcklin. Autoportrait 3. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/
    Harvard
    Böcklin, Arnold (n.d.) Autoportrait 3. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/arnold-bocklin-autoportrait-3-8BWMXK-en/

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 11, 2026

    Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: portraits. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at La Guerre (1896), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Symbolism: Pictures where objects stand for ideas — a flower or a door meaning something beyond itself. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 11, 2026

    Autoportrait 3 — Arnold Böcklin Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Does "Autoportrait 3" show strong light-dark contrasts?

    The light-dark contrast of "Autoportrait 3" is recorded as statement. Contrast describes how strongly light and dark areas differ.

    What color harmony does "Autoportrait 3" by Arnold Böcklin display?

    The colors of "Autoportrait 3" by Arnold Böcklin show a discordant palette harmony. Harmony describes how the colors relate to each other.

    How saturated is the palette of "Autoportrait 3"?

    "Autoportrait 3" by Arnold Böcklin is recorded with a muted saturation.