Does it seem as if my favorite things more and more often are strange paintings in the Neue Pinakothek? I can hardly be blamed for this. Most of these paintings are odd, funny, or just plain awful, unlike those in the Alte Pinakothek. Also unlike the paintings in the AP, most of which I know about specifically or can fit into my general understanding of art history, those in the NP are by artists with whom I am completely unfamiliar or about whom I am rather apathetic. (That is when I don’t actively loath them. Gauguin, I am looking at you, punk!) This is great, because I am forced to do some very extensive research and learn something new–but only once a week.
Perhaps one of the most disturbing paintings in the NP’s collection is the painting entitled “Im Spiel der Wellen” by the nineteenth-century Swiss Symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin.
Photo: http://www.pinakothek.de
What is it about this painting that I find so jarring? Is it the overly scaly merman-thing? No. Is it the distressed look on the blonde’s face, while all the others frolic? No. Is it her bangs? Yes!
Somehow I cannot wrap my brain around a pseudo-mythological creatures scene in which the central figure is sporting bangs (that is fringe to you Brits or der Pony to you Germans). [Aside: I have never before realized how stupid all these names are]. The fact that she looks like a Finnish friend of mine does not help.
According to the website of the museum, a personal experience was the impetus for Böcklin’s rather odd fantasy painting. Apparently, Böcklin was on vacation with the German marine biologist Anton Dohrn and they went for a dip off the coast of Naples. At one point Dohrn went for a long underwater swim and popped up amongst a group of women who were rather startled by his sudden appearance.
Still none of this really seems explain this painting, until you see a picture of Dohrn.
Now I get it!
Apparently Böcklin was quite influential. According to a reliable source, he inspired Surrealists like Dali and de Chirico as well as composers, such as Rachmaninoff and Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen, who wrote symphonic poems based on his painting “The Isle of the Dead”. The English language wiki site for Schulz did not include a picture, but I believe he looked something like this:
I see NOTHING...except an awesome painting I want create a composition about
Another composer, the German Max Reger, wrote four tone poems inspired by Böcklin’s work, including “Playing in the Waves.” It is not a bad piece. You can listen to it here. Maybe I should reassess my feelings about this painting. But maybe not, after all Hitler loved Böcklin and owned 11 of his paintings.
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i laughed muchly while reading this. the fact that it was in a location where a lot of other people were doing work quietly made it that much better