Die Strasse nach Evordes (circa 1890)

Ferdinand Hodler prints bring the clear light and calm order of Swiss lakes and mountains into your home. Hodler is one of the best-known Swiss painters, moving from vigorous realism to a personal form of Symbolism he called "parallelism". This collection gathers art prints of his serene views of Lake Geneva and Lake Thun, Alpine peaks, rhythmic figure compositions, portraits and patriotic history scenes.

About Ferdinand Hodler

Ferdinand Hodler was born in Bern on 14 March 1853, the eldest of six children of a poor carpenter. By the age of eight he had lost his father and two brothers to tuberculosis, and his mother died of the same disease in 1867. As a boy he helped his stepfather paint signs, then trained in Thun with a painter of Alpine views for tourists.

At 18 he walked to Geneva to become a painter. He copied works by Alexandre Calame in the museum and, from 1873, studied with Barthélemy Menn. Trips to Basel, where Holbein's Dead Christ in the Tomb impressed him deeply, and to Madrid's Prado shaped his early work. Recognition came slowly: when Night was shown in Geneva in 1891 the mayor called it obscene and had it withdrawn, but it was praised at the Paris Salon a few months later.

In 1900 Night, Eurythmy and Day won awards at the Paris World's Fair, and he was invited to join the Berlin and Vienna Secessions. A show of 31 works in Vienna in 1904 finally ended his poverty. His late years were marked by the illness and death in 1915 of his companion Valentine Godé-Darel, whom he painted many times. Hodler died in Geneva on 19 May 1918.

Style and Subjects

Hodler's idea of "parallelism" rests on symmetry and repetition: figures stand in rows or mirror one another in ritual-like poses, as in Eurythmy, where five robed men walk in procession. He believed this rhythm expressed something essential about human life and nature.

His landscapes follow the same idea. After 1900 they become simpler and more strongly colored, with bands of shore, water, mountains and clouds stacked like a frieze. Lake Geneva, Lake Thun and the high Alps appear again and again, along with portraits, self-portraits, workers such as woodcutters and mowers, and large history paintings of Swiss battles.

Famous Works

• Self-Portrait (The Angry One) (1880–1881). His frustration with poverty and neglect, and his first work accepted at the Paris Salon.
• The Night (1889–1890), Kunstmuseum Bern. Sleeping figures and a shrouded figure of death, the painting that marked his turn to Symbolism.
• Eurythmy (1895). Five men in robes walk in solemn procession along a path of fallen leaves.
• Day (Truth) (1900). One of the three works that won awards in Paris in 1900.
• View into Infinity (1903), Hamburger Kunsthalle. A frieze of women in blue, posed in rhythmic harmony.
• Portrait of the Dancer Giulia Leonardi (1910), Wallraf–Richartz Museum, Cologne. A striking late portrait.
• Lake Geneva (c. 1911). Shoreline, mountains and clouds turned into calm horizontal bands.

Decorating with Hodler Prints

Hodler's lake views are some of the calmest landscapes in art. Their pale blues, soft greens and wide horizons suit a bedroom, bathroom or living room in a modern, Scandinavian or minimalist style, and look good in thin light wood frames.

His Alpine peaks bring a fresh, mountain-air feeling to a hallway or home office. The rhythmic figure paintings such as View into Infinity make a strong focal point over a sofa or bed, where their repeated forms add a sense of order and quiet.

FAQ

What art movement was Ferdinand Hodler part of?

Hodler began as a realist and later became a leading Symbolist, linked with Art Nouveau and the Berlin and Vienna Secessions. He developed his own approach, which he called "parallelism".

What is Ferdinand Hodler's most famous painting?

The Night (1889–1890) in the Kunstmuseum Bern is one of his best-known works, along with Eurythmy, Day and his late views of Lake Geneva.

Where can I see Hodler's original paintings?

The Kunstmuseum Bern and the Kunsthaus Zürich hold large collections, and the Museum of Art and History in Geneva has important works. His frescoes are at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich.

How can you recognize a Ferdinand Hodler painting?

Look for symmetry and repetition: figures in rows or mirrored poses, and landscapes built from clear horizontal bands of shore, water, mountains and sky. His colors are often cool blues and greens with strong outlines.

What is Hodler's "parallelism"?

Parallelism was Hodler's name for his belief that symmetry and rhythm lie at the heart of nature and human society. He used repeated, balanced forms in both his figure paintings and his landscapes, and explained the idea in a lecture of 1897.

Related Artists

• Barthélemy Menn — his teacher in Geneva
• Gustav Klimt — leading figure of the Vienna Secession, which invited Hodler to exhibit
• Félix Vallotton — Swiss-born painter of the same era
• Giovanni Giacometti — Swiss painter of Alpine light and landscape
• Albert Anker — earlier Swiss painter of everyday life