Ergriffenheit

Ergriffenheit (Moved, or Deeply Affected) by Ferdinand Hodler from 1900 belongs to the Swiss painter's series of symbolic figure compositions that explore emotional and psychological states through simplified, hieratic figure arrangements. Hodler's concept of Parallelism — his theory that repetition of similar forms in painting expresses universal human experiences — is at work in many of his symbolic compositions, and Ergriffenheit belongs to this theoretical framework. The Belvedere in Vienna holds this work as part of their significant Central European Symbolist collection, recognizing Hodler's importance within the broader Symbolist movement of the period.

Hodler renders the figure or figures with the simplified, outline-dominant technique of his Symbolist compositions. His forms are flattened and regularized, with color serving emotional rather than naturalistic purposes. The paint surface is smooth and even — the opposite of the gestural handling of his Impressionist contemporaries — supporting the formal stasis of his symbolic imagery.