Odysseus and Calypso
1882 · Oil on mahogany · Kunstmuseum Basel
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About this work
- Artist
- Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901)
- Year
- 1882
- Medium
- Oil on mahogany
- Original size
- 103.5 × 149.8 cm
- Collection
- Kunstmuseum Basel
- Movement
- Symbolism
On a sandy beach, the nymph Calypso sits at the mouth of a dark cave on a bright red cloth, bare to the waist and holding a lyre, looking across at Odysseus. He stands far off on a black rock with his back to her, wrapped in a dark blue cloak, staring out to sea. The story is told in the fifth book of Homer's Odyssey: longing for home and Penelope, Odysseus is allowed by the gods to leave her island. Böcklin painted it in 1882, and the Kunstmuseum Basel notes that his turned-away, pillar-like Odysseus was later taken up by Giorgio de Chirico and Alberto Giacometti.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A red cloth against black rock, sand and a white sky makes a striking picture for a living room, study or hallway with dark walls. Pair it with Waterhouse's Ulysses and the Sirens and hang this one at 24×16 in a black frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1882)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Odysseus and Calypso in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Odysseus and Calypso painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
