About the Work
Dark clouds, cypresses bowing to the wind and a villa by the sea in the red evening sky served as a dramatic setting for this metaphor of solitude. A withdrawn female figure is standing on the beach, as if she were on stage. The body’s melancholy posture, with her head resting in her hand, can be traced under her cloak. Böcklin is alluding to the onlooker’s withdrawal into his self. This is the third version of five dealing with this subject, which was of great importance to the artist.