img022 Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918)

The composition presents a landscape dominated by a rocky foreground that transitions into a dense woodland and culminates in a distant mountain range. The immediate impression is one of layered depth, achieved through variations in color intensity and brushstroke density.
Here we see a riverbed or stream bed filling the lower portion of the canvas. It’s rendered with large, irregularly shaped stones depicted in shades of brown, grey, and ochre. These forms are not meticulously detailed but rather suggested by broad strokes, creating a sense of texture and volume. The water itself is barely discernible, appearing as dark reflections between the rocks, contributing to an overall feeling of dryness and aridity.
Beyond the rocky foreground, a thicket of trees rises abruptly. Their trunks are painted with bold, vertical brushstrokes in varying shades of brown and black, creating a sense of density and impenetrability. The foliage is rendered in a simplified manner, using short, choppy strokes that suggest leaves without attempting to depict individual forms. This stylistic choice contributes to the painting’s overall flatness and decorative quality.
The background features a range of mountains, painted in muted blues and purples. These distant peaks are less detailed than the foreground elements, further emphasizing the sense of depth and distance. Above them, the sky is rendered with broad strokes of pale blue and white, suggesting diffused light rather than direct sunlight.
A notable characteristic of this work is its use of color. The palette is largely earth-toned – browns, greens, blues, ochres – but these colors are applied in a manner that departs from naturalistic representation. There’s an intentional flattening of perspective and a heightened intensity of hue that suggests a symbolic or emotional intent rather than a purely descriptive one.
The painting evokes a sense of solitude and perhaps even melancholy. The starkness of the landscape, the absence of human presence, and the simplified forms all contribute to this atmosphere. One might interpret the work as an exploration of nature’s power and indifference, or as a reflection on themes of isolation and introspection. The deliberate stylization suggests that the artist is less interested in depicting a specific place than in conveying a particular mood or feeling about the natural world.