Der Thunersee von Lessigen aus

Der Thunersee von Lessigen aus (Lake Thun from Lessigen) by Ferdinand Hodler from 1904, held at the Kunstmuseum Bern, was painted from the village of Lessigen on the southern shore of Lake Thun — a different vantage point than his more famous views from the northern shore. Lake Thun, with its dramatic Alpine backdrop of the Niesen and the Blümlisalp, was among Hodler's most frequently painted subjects and each new viewpoint along the shore gave him fresh material for developing his Parallelist aesthetic. The Kunstmuseum Bern holds the most comprehensive collection of Hodler's work, including many of these Lake Thun paintings that trace his evolving engagement with the same body of water over decades.

From Lessigen, the lake's southern shoreline would have provided a view across the water toward the northern mountains — or alternatively down the length of the lake toward Spiez and Thun itself. Hodler's characteristic horizontal layering of water, mountain, and sky is here given a particular geometric intensity by the steep mountain walls.