Quell in einer Felsschlucht (Spring in a Narrow Gorge)

Symmetrically composed with high cliffs and dark trees framing an aperture of sky at the end of a gorge, this landscape features a single birch tree standing brilliantly green.

Even without human figures or animals, Böcklin's painting seems decidedly more symbolic than descriptive. Is this a representation of life's brevity or its eternity? Its meaning is veiled; the artist was noted for his ability to conjure mood through landscape without clear narrative content.