Schynige plate 1909

Ferdinand Hodler made this painting, Schynige Plate, with oils, and what grabs me first is how he builds this mountain out of marks. The blues and greens aren't blended so much as laid down side by side, and that lets your eye do the mixing. It's a process-y thing, right? Like, he's showing you how he's seeing, how he's building this monumental form. The texture is great, not super thick, but you can feel the brushstrokes, especially in the way the light catches those little ridges. Check out the way he carves out the shadows with these dense, almost indigo strokes, then contrasts them with the softer, yellower greens in the foreground. It's not just about replicating the landscape, it's about feeling the weight and presence of it. When I look at it I think of Cezanne, a real master of seeing with colour. Hodler is similarly reminding us that art is a conversation across time, and that paintings have so much more to tell us than just what they depict.