SELF PORTRAIT WITH DEATH /1872/ by ARNOLD BÖCKLIN Böcklin developed an obsession with mortality following the death of his infant daughter. In the painting, he is listening. Listening to the entrancing words of Death, Death’s fiddle features a single string to remind Böcklin that life is fragile. It could break at any time, and once the song ends, so too will Böcklin’s life. THREAD