Island of the Dead 1880

Arnold Böcklin painted *Island of the Dead* using oil paint on canvas. These are, of course, traditional art materials, and the process is that of easel painting, which had been standardized for centuries. Look closely, though. The surface of the painting is very built up, almost like a relief sculpture. This effect was achieved by applying layers of oil paint in a technique called impasto, giving it a very tactile quality. While it may seem inevitable to use oil paint to depict the darkness and somber mood, Böcklin's choice also shows a deep connection to the symbolic meaning of light and shadow. Although it's a painting, it evokes stone. It also evokes the artist's labor, given the sheer volume of paint that he moved around the canvas. Böcklin challenges our preconceptions about painting through the extraordinary labor involved in this work.