The working mower 1909

Ferdinand Hodler created this drawing titled "The Working Mower." The most prominent visual element is the scythe wielded by the mower. The scythe is more than a farming tool. It is an ancient symbol of mortality, famously carried by the Grim Reaper. In ancient Greece, it was associated with Cronus, the god of time, who used a sickle to castrate his father. The sickle is linked to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, mirroring the seasons and the human condition. Think of how this tool also appeared in images of Saturn, an allegory of melancholia, representing a harvest of the soul. The rhythmic movement of the mower mirrors the cyclical nature of existence, subtly reminding us of our mortality. The drawing touches deep subconscious emotions about life's fleeting nature and the passage of time. Such symbols persist through time, transforming yet carrying echoes of their origins.