Ferdinand Hodler: Symbolism II

Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918) was a Swiss symbolist painter known primarily for his enigmatic depictions of people and surrealist scenes, but he also produced striking realist land and waterscapes. His artwork aims to penetrate the mysteries of the natural order, universe, and our own minds. The three paintings below, which are the continuation of my previous post Ferdinand Hodler: Symbolism I, present Hodler’s curious philosophy, and ideas of life renewal and spring.

The Sacred Hour [1911]

This is just one painting in a series produced by the artist where we can clearly see his philosophy of Parallelism. Hodler’s belief was that abstraction, symmetry and repetition are at the heart of the universe, and are key to understanding Nature’s work. In this artwork, he depicted four sitting women (probably nature goddesses) whose postures are clearly emphasised, while they mirror each other in gestures, hairdress and clothes. The women were likely modelled from those in Edward Burne-Jones’s The Hours [1882] that portrayed the goddesses of life renewal, hours and seasons. Although Hodler’s enigmatic set-up may unsettle the viewer, it conveys his stance that external actions represent inner feelings, and that harmony and unity are the buildings blocks of the natural order.

The Sacred Hour is housed at the Foundation for Art, Culture and History (SKKG) in Winterthur, Switzerland.

The Dream of the Shepherd [1896]

In this painting, a shepherd is seen kneeling on the grass somewhere in Alps, with his hand covering his face (suggesting forbidden desire), while dreaming of women who can be seen dancing in the upper portion of the painting. In contrast to the somewhat crudely-drawn women, the young man is painted with some realism and more precise brushstrokes, transporting us to his state of mind. What captures our attention is the awkward position of the shepherd (one leg is in the kneeling position, probably suggesting his succumbing to the temptation of this romantic/sexual reverie) and the uncertainty if he is dreaming or not (his blushing signals his shame at the guilty pleasure he experiences, and may also indicate that he is day-dreaming, rather than sleeping). This painting, together with Night, cemented Hodler’s reputation as a master of depicting psychological states of mind, who can capture the immediacy and wonder of the unknown related to our subconscious processes.

The painting is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, US.

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Tree on the Lake of Brienz near Bödeli [1906]

This painting showcases Hodler’s early influence by French landscape artists. It shows a tree on the Lake Brienz, situated just north of the Alps. What immediately captures the attention is the incredibly detailed depiction of the tree that takes the central stage here, as well as the impressive use of strong colours: shades of yellow, green, and light blue. The dense canopy of the tree is contrasted with more sporadic vegetation at the tree’s trunk. Hodler underlines the sheer majesty and divinity of nature through the portrayal of this lone tree near water, the source of all life. Even when portraying this realist scene of nature, the artist managed to imbue it with otherworldliness and awe, something which few artists could do, and that alone makes Hodler’s work comparable to that of Caspar David Friedrich. It is little wonder, therefore, that Hodler became the foremost artist of Switzerland – so devoted was he to the depiction of its magnificent natural beauty.