Shocking horror

This is a Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle by Bocklin I would have thought that background would have darker black but it more brown.  It looks like there is alight shining down on the skelton, it like to me he is painting himself or how he see himself the position of the hand they both seem to be holding the paint brush and the vilon kind in the same way.  On his jacket to the left there is this white line maybe he got some white paint on himself.  On the skeleton the is a hole in the skull make you think what happen was that person hit in the head.It almost if the skeleton is try to talk to him or whispering in his ear because the way the head is tilted.