Q131586100

Painted in 1911 and part of a rich year in Hodler's output, this canvas reflects the mature confidence of an artist who had fully internalized his philosophical programme and was exploring its expressive variety. The second 1911 canvas in this batch points to the sustained productivity of these years: Hodler was prolific across multiple subjects simultaneously, moving between landscape, portrait, and figure work without losing the coherence of his visual language. His Swiss alpine landscapes of 1911 were commanding attention at major European exhibitions alongside his large historical compositions, demonstrating that the Parallelism doctrine was not limited to monumental scale but could animate the most intimate observation of sky and water.

Like others from 1911, this canvas shows the broad, decisive paint application of Hodler's late-middle period. Forms are laid in with assured strokes that imply a rapid working process despite the carefully resolved compositional structure beneath. The relationship between thinly applied areas and more heavily loaded passages creates a varied surface texture that rewards close examination.