Artwork
Blick ins Unendliche
Blick ins Unendliche is an oil painting by the Art Nouveau artist Ferdinand Hodler. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1916, *Blick ins Unendliche* is an oil painting by Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler. The work is part of the Kunsthaus Zürich’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s mature phase, where he pursued a symbolic visual language distinct from his earlier realist output.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents five women arranged in a straight line, each clad in an identical sleeveless blue dress with a V‑shaped neckline. Their bare feet and outstretched arms, touching one another, generate a sense of collective presence. Though their faces remain neutral, the uniformity of pose and attire suggests themes of unity, continuity, and perhaps an abstract contemplation of the infinite.
Technique & Style
” Light and shadow are handled with modest chiaroscuro, giving the forms a modest three‑dimensionality without disrupting the overall flatness of the surface.
Hodler employs a restrained palette dominated by blues and sandy tones, allowing the figures to emerge against a subtly graded background. The brushwork is smooth, and the composition relies on balanced symmetry, reflecting his self‑coined “parallelism.” Light and shadow are handled with modest chiaroscuro, giving the forms a modest three‑dimensionality without disrupting the overall flatness of the surface.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on display. Hodler, born in 1853, had already transitioned from realistic portraiture and landscape work to a personal Symbolist idiom by the time he produced this piece, situating it within the later stage of his career.
Context
*Blick ins Unendliche* aligns with the broader Art Nouveau movement, which favored stylized forms and decorative harmony. Hodler’s approach, however, diverges from the movement’s typical ornamental excess, favoring a more austere, symbolic arrangement that reflects his interest in conveying universal ideas through repeated, simplified figures.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ferdinand Hodler (March 14, 1853 – May 19, 1918) was a Swiss painter. He is one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century. His early works were portraits, landscapes, and genre paintings in a realistic…
