The Garden of Death by Hugo Simberg - 1896 - 15,8 × 17,5 cm Finnish National Gallery The Garden of Death by Hugo Simberg - 1896 - 15,8 × 17,5 cm Finnish National Gallery

The Garden of Death

Watercolour and gouache on paper • 15,8 × 17,5 cm
  • Hugo Simberg - June 24, 1873 - July 12, 1917 Hugo Simberg 1896

Hugo Simberg was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist whose paintings emphasize mainly macabre and supernatural topics. Perfect for today's Halloween!

The odd charm of The Garden of Death can most likely be attributed to the fact that Death is depicted as a gentle character, as is most often the case in Hugo Simberg's work. Why is Death, the very essence of destruction, tending to the potted plants and flowers that are metaphors for life and regeneration? Simberg believed the garden of death to be a place where souls go before entering heaven. He depicts human souls as plants, almost as if man is as undeveloped compared to his paradisiacal self as a child is compared to an adult. The painting does not reveal whether all the souls in the garden end up going to heaven, or why it is necessary to wait in the garden in the first place, but the atmosphere is nevertheless one of peace rather than anxiety.

P.S. No tricks, only treat this Halloween! You've got 24 hours to shop the flash sale at the DailyArt Shop, which includes our amazing calendars, socks, notebooks, and prints! Don't miss it!

P.P.S. Check out these 13 creepy paintings (including skeletons!) that are perfect for Halloween! Enjoy it and if you're not afraid, check out our special Halloween articles below!