Lake Geneva on the evening in Chexbres 1895

Editor: Here we have Ferdinand Hodler's "Lake Geneva on the Evening in Chexbres," created around 1895 using oil paint. There's such a serenity to the piece. The calm water reflecting the soft sunset hues, and those almost symmetrical trees…it’s quite captivating! What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The first thing that resonates is the way Hodler captures the essence of evening, not just visually, but emotionally. Notice how the mirroring effect isn’t perfect, which prevents a rigid reading. The water seems to hold secrets. The colours themselves are incredibly important. Does the choice of blues and yellows, the shades specifically, evoke a feeling of melancholy, perhaps? Editor: I hadn’t considered melancholy. I thought it was more peaceful. But the bare trees do lend a sort of… still, quiet feeling. Almost like a pause. Curator: Exactly! Consider the time it was painted: The late 19th century, a period rife with anxieties about modernity. Landscape, then, becomes a vessel. These bare trees – symbols of dormancy. Hodler offers us Geneva not just as a place, but a reflection on nature's cycles of life and death. Doesn't that symbolism transform your initial impression? Editor: It does, profoundly! It moves beyond pretty scenery. And the way he repeats the horizontal lines – in the hills, the water, and the sky – it feels almost like… visual echoes. Curator: Visual echoes, indeed! He's employing what he called "Parallelism," where nature's inherent order and the order of society, intersect and reflect one another. By presenting what might initially appear decorative, Hodler prompts us to consider a deeper societal symbolism within natural forms. Editor: This was eye-opening. I'll never look at a landscape the same way! Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Art history isn't just about seeing; it's about understanding the stories embedded in the image and in our reaction to them.