Death Listens
1897
Hugo Simberg gives the Grim Reaper a makeover in this 1897 piece. Instead of scaring the sick patient lying in the background, the skeleton figure leans politely on a chair, completely captivated by a barefoot boy playing the fiddle. It’s a surprisingly gentle take on death, typical of the Symbolist movement which loved mixing the spooky with the everyday. The clock on the wall ticks away, but for a moment, even Death is willing to wait for the song to end.
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