Evening mist on Lake Thun 1908

Ferdinand Hodler made this painting, Evening Mist on Lake Thun, with oil on canvas. The way Hodler lays down the paint, it's like he’s trying to capture not just what he sees, but how he feels, and that’s a process, right? The colors are muted, everything's kind of soft and dreamy, like he is only half awake. The cool blues of the mountains against that warm yellow of the lake is really doing something for me, I can feel the mist rolling in. Looking closely, you can see how the paint isn't blended perfectly, you can see each brushstroke, each decision. And that one little spot of intense yellow right at the center? That's the sun, right? Like a little explosion of light. Hodler reminds me a little of Munch, both trying to get at something deep, something real, in their paintings. It’s a conversation, isn’t it, this art thing? A way of talking to each other, across time and space.