The Sanctuary of Hercules (Böcklin) explained

The Sanctuary of Hercules
Artist:Arnold Böcklin
Year:1884
Medium:Oil on wood
Height Metric:113.8
Width Metric:180.5
Museum:National Gallery of Art
City:Washington, D.C.

The Sanctuary of Hercules is an oil on wood painting executed in 1884 by the Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin. It is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[1]

The work depicts three soldiers kneeling on the steps of a shrine to the Greek hero Hercules (Greek: Heracles) whilst a fourth soldier keeps guard. Sunlight shining through an approaching storm illuminates the group and the circular stonework of the shrine, within which is a sacred grove and a statue of the great hero and protector. The central feature of the painting is the dressed stone wall, trimmed with polished marble, which has a much admired luminescent quality.

The work is one of a series of depictions of holy and mysterious mythological sites imagined by the artist.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Sanctuary of Hercules, 1884. National Gallery of Art. 26 August 2020.