The maiden of the mist over the sea 1908

Ferdinand Hodler made this painting of mountains and mist, probably in the early 1900s, and I can just feel the energy of the mark-making. It's like he's building up the image, one stroke at a time, with these blues and yellows, like constructing a vision of nature itself. What strikes me is the physicality of the paint. It's not about hiding the process, but embracing it. Look at how the brushstrokes create the texture of the mist, how they swirl and dance across the surface. You can almost feel the cool dampness of the air. There's a spot, near the bottom, where the yellow peeks through the blue, creating this ethereal glow. It’s not just about depicting mist; it’s about the experience of being in it. Hodler reminds me a bit of other landscape painters like Caspar David Friedrich, who captured the sublime power of nature. But Hodler's got this unique way of making the paint itself part of the experience, inviting us into the process of seeing and feeling.