When I first came across the work of German painter Fredinand Keller, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I was immediately struck by the obvious influence of Swiss Symbolist Arnold Böcklin.
Oddly, in what scant biographical information I can find on Keller, there is rarely mention of his overt admiration for Böcklin. The influence is not only glaring for me, but one of Kellers most commonly reproduced paintings is titled Böcklin’s Tomb (images above, top).
Though there are certainly stand out exceptions, the majority of Keller’s paintings that I can find on the internet share that brooding haunted feeling, almost to a surreal extent.
I particularly enjoy the textural qualities of stone in his paintings.