The Garden of Death

For years, interpretations of Simberg’s artwork have been a place of mystery for historians and psychologists alike.

However, The Garden of Death is one of the few paintings whose symbolism Simberg explained; typically he preferred to let viewers come to their own conclusions. In a note on one sketch he described the garden as “the place where the dead end up BEFORE going to Heaven”.

Because of this explanation, there is a connection from this piece of artwork to spiritualism.

Furthering this interpretation further, the work is described as having the skeletons symbolize being a friend and performing typical home rituals. Simberg’s juxtaposition of the traditionally frightening imagery of death with the tenderness and humor of his portrayal invite the viewer to consider mortality in a new light.

The image of death as the gardener is considered a significant reference to Simberg’s typology.

The garden used in the work can be seen as philosophical gardens, possibly even pointing to an overall symbol of a new type of religious garden. Following the idea of religious gardens, the gardens created by Simberg follow the Gardens of Eden, the Garden of Christ, and the Garden of Virtues.5 Because Simberg decided to mix both positive and negative characters in the artwork, many leaders within the Catholic Church were left questioning the indirect notion of biblical characters. Many of the Church’s authorities felt irritated and ultimately opposed the artwork.

The painting was a favored subject of Simberg’s and he made several versions using different techniques, including larger fresco version of the painting in the Tampere Cathedral, which also contains other works by Simberg.

Since Simberg gave observers a slight explanation the artwork, many still try to interpret the symbols used in the piece today.