The painting itself is a reference to the Greek gods
Hypnos (sleep) and
Thanatos (death) who, in the
Greek mythology, were brothers. Despite their similar poses in the painting, the character in the foreground is bathed in light, while his brother is shrouded in darkness; the first therefore represents Sleep, the latter Death. The personification of Sleep clasps poppies, symbolic of narcosis and dreamlike-states. ==See also==