Arnold Böcklin, (October 16, 1827, Basel, Switzerland - January 16, 1901, Fiesole, Italy), painter whose moody landscapes and sinister allegories greatly influenced late 19th-century German artists and presaged the symbolism of the 20th-century Metaphysical and Surrealist artists.
Although he studied and worked throughout much of northern Europe - Düsseldorf, Antwerp, Brussels, and Paris - Böcklin found his real inspiration in the landscape of Italy, where he returned from time to time and where the last years of his life were spent.