The Garden of Death by Hugo Simberg (Interpretation and Analysis)

The Garden of Death
Source: Wikimedia Commons

As I’ve written before, I’m focusing on spooky art this October, and what’s spookier than a skeleton? The answer is nothing except a whole garden of skeletons, and that is the subject of Hugo Simberg’s macabre masterpiece, The Garden of Death. 

Simberg is one of Finland’s most famous painters. He was a member of the symbolist movement, an artistic movement that sought to expressive higher truths through art. Simberg revels in strange and supernatural subjects, and his work typically has an otherworldly aura.

The Garden of Death portrays three skeletons dressed in the traditional black robe of the Grim Reaper. The reapers tend raised beds full of colorful flowers and exotic plants.

While the subject of the painting may seem grisly, it is actually a rather optimistic portrayal of death. The contrast of the skeletons and the flowers is a reminder that the cycle of life and death is an endless loop that always returns to birth and renewal. The Garden of Death offers hope of life after death, a somewhat uplifting message. Personally, the painting reminds me of Death’s garden in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. In the Discworld books, Death presides over a black house and a black garden, with flowers and grass in different shades of black. While Simberg’s painting is more colorful, the overall symbolism is the same. Both, ask the viewer or reader to consider their own mortality and the nature of life and death.

Although Simberg did not usually explain his paintings, he noted that this one represented "the place where the dead end up before going to Heaven," which seems a fitting epigraph for this masterpiece.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.