Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau in Moonlight 1908

Ferdinand Hodler created this painting, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau in Moonlight, with oils on canvas sometime during his career, though the exact date is not known. Look at the way the colour is applied, it's not quite blended, is it? It's a bit scratchy, giving it a real material feel. You can sense his process. I love how he's handled the paint to conjure these Swiss mountains under the moonlight. See how the blues and purples aren't flat? They have texture, little ridges and valleys that catch the light. The sky is a field of blue-grey-white marks that pull and push, creating a sense of depth. Then, boom, there's this smudge of dark pigment, edged with light yellow – a cloud, maybe? Hodler had a knack for using repetition to create rhythm, something you also see in the work of someone like Edvard Munch. The way that Hodler handled paint, you get the feeling that he's not trying to trick you into seeing something, but instead, he's showing you how he sees.