Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc at dawn 1918

Editor: This is Ferdinand Hodler’s "Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc at Dawn," painted in 1918. The blues and yellows create a surprisingly somber, almost muted, atmosphere despite depicting a sunrise. How do you interpret this work, especially considering it's a landscape? Curator: Muted is a great word. It feels like a memory, doesn't it? Hodler, even when painting landscapes, wasn’t just capturing a scene. He was exploring parallel realities: the objective and the internal. In 1918, you have to think about the war; that sombre tone feels resonant. But beyond the historical reading, it’s the layering, isn't it? He builds these horizontal planes of color...it’s like music—each plane is a chord. What kind of feeling do the impasto application and parallel structures evoke in you? Editor: I can definitely see the musical analogy; it's repetitive but not monotonous. There is some nuance and I can understand the reference to war. Curator: Yes, consider those strokes as emotional seismographs of a world in turmoil. Also, think of how the mirror-like lake seems to dissolve boundaries. What could this mean to you? Editor: Well, if it's painted during wartime, perhaps dissolving boundaries signals the loss of what is true and not true? Also, thinking about Switzerland, could the repetitive structure indicate their position to be equal between warring countries? Curator: Intriguing observations. Hodler offers more questions than answers, but it feels intentional to leave you with that emotion and to allow each viewer to reflect and feel individually. Editor: I see now how Hodler transcends simple representation, engaging with both the external and the emotional landscape. The parallel planes make so much more sense! Curator: Exactly. His quest was to represent the rhythms of nature but, perhaps more importantly, the emotional rhythms of being.