On the Rails, plate eight from On Death, Part I 1889

"On the Rails" is an 1889 etching by German artist Max Klinger. It is the eighth plate in his series "On Death, Part I", a collection of graphic works that explore themes of mortality and the afterlife. The piece depicts a skeletal figure lying on a set of railroad tracks that lead into a mountainous landscape, framed by a black border adorned with faces and stylized foliage, evoking a sense of isolation and impending doom. The artwork's stark imagery and symbolic representation of death's inevitability make it a powerful and haunting example of Klinger's signature style.