Saleve in autumn 1891

Ferdinand Hodler created this painting with oil on canvas, and the visible brushstrokes are as essential as the landscape itself. The textures of the paint both describe the scene, and become a material reality in their own right. Notice how Hodler applied the pigment with such care, so as to capture the light on the water, and the sheer, monumental presence of the mountain. The brushwork itself, clearly visible, attests to the labor involved in creating the image. There is also a kind of social transaction embedded here. Hodler was part of a generation of artists who saw it as their task to give visual form to national identity; in his case, that of Switzerland. Painting views like this was therefore not just a personal artistic statement, but a contribution to a larger cultural project. Hodler made many versions of this same composition, each one an opportunity to reiterate the beauty and solidity of the Swiss landscape, a monument made of both stone and paint. This direct, unpretentious approach to materials, making, and context invites us to appreciate the image on multiple levels. The painting transcends traditional distinctions, resonating as both a landscape and a carefully crafted object.