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Böcklin lived in the age of Realism and consequently his pictures also depict a three-dimensional reality – however, they do not offer a portrayal of the visible world; rather, like a Romantic, he strives to evoke inner realities. Primal fears and dreams find expression in evocative landscapes and fantastic mythical forms. His use of vibrant colouration and dramatic lighting made him a precursor of “Jugendstil”; his painting The Awakening of Spring in the Kunsthaus with a cloven-hoofed Pan playing the flute places him at the head of this movement.
