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Ferdinand Hodler. Profession of Faith
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Open in the appThis exhibition studies for the first time the links between the painting of Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918) and the religious. In his youth, the Swiss painter was an avid reader of the Bible. He took up rare biblical scenes in his painting, particularly that of the Good Samaritan.… This exhibition studies for the first time the links between the painting of Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918) and the religious. In his youth, the Swiss painter was an avid reader of the Bible. He took up rare biblical scenes in his painting, particularly that of the Good Samaritan. Of Bernese origin and Protestant faith, he also created a painting that links him to the Reformation and the city of Geneva: Calvin in the courtyard of the College. Several church interiors and scenes of prayer are also known. Exploring the religious roots of Ferdinand Hodler, this exhibition especially develops the way the painter made his own the idea of creation, transposing it onto nature, developing through his artistic theory almost a form of pantheism. The belief that the order of nature expresses a higher unity guided the realisation of Hodler's most important works, and in particular his last great Symbolist compositions, such as Gaze into the Infinite, and the landscapes he calls "planetary", inviting meditation and elevation. The exhibition traces, through some twenty-five paintings, the different professions of faith of Hodler and the spiritual stages of his journey.