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FERDINAND HODLER (1 853-1918)

Ferdinand Hodler is one of Geneva. Merin frequently greatest masterpieces - The
brought his students to the Night. This painting was
greatest
Switzerland's
Musée Rath and one day selected to appear in the
painters; to many - the great-
noticed Hodler. Merin was a Geneva
Municipal
est. He placed on canvas the
friend of Corot, one of the Exhibition at the Musée Rath
legendary history of his
the
forefathers
of
in 1891 and again in 1896
country and its humble, hard-
Impressionists. He had also but on both occasions was
working, honest, pious peo-
been a student of the great excluded by order of the
ple. In his poetic landscapes
Ingres, and Ingres himself mayor, Theodore Turrettini
one can perceive the cosmic
had been trained by David, (of whom we have not heard
rhythms of the universe and
the most famous painter of the last). Although it would
the structure of the Earth.
the Napoleonic period. Thus, be many years before Hodler
In his childhood he knew
between 1872 and 1877 was appreciated in his own
poverty, sickness and death.
Merin was able to give country, he was now recog-
He was born at Gürzelen in
Hodler a thorough academic nized throughout Europe as
the canton of Berne in 1853.
training in drawing and art an important artist.
When he was 6 the family
theory. In particular, Hodler
moved to La-Chaux-de-
learned about the works of In 1896 the Swiss National
Fonds, where the following
other artists, such as Exhibition took place in
year his father died. His
Michelangelo, Raphael, Geneva. It was decided that
mother married again - a
Titian, Courbet, Holbein, Hodler and another artist
painter and decorator named
Goya and DUrer. In 1877 he called Daniel Ihly would
Schupbach, but then in 1867
his mother died. His step- finished his training with paint typical Swiss figures to
Merin. decorate the pillars support-
father, an alcoholic, left for
England and then he too ing the building. Hodler
Although Hodler would do painted twenty-five monu-
died. Thus, at the age of 17
most of his painting in mental
masterpieces.
Hodler found himself an
Geneva, he travelled all over However, at the beginning of
orphan.
Switzerland, often spending 1896 the Central Committee
his summers in the mountain of the exhibition (chaired by
He was then apprenticed to a
regions. Turrettini) reviewed them.
German painter in Thun
called Ferdinand Sommer, Eight were "refused" and
He employed a neighbour, "changes" were demanded in
who employed young people
Augustine Dupin, as his an autocratic manner of
on a production line to paint
model and she would seven others! The politicians
souvenir landscapes for the
become one of his female had the most ham-fisted con-
tourist industry.
companions from 1884 until fidence in their "views on
At the age of 18, he left the
her death in 1908. They did art". The Genevan news-
Bernese Oberland and
not many but she was the papers were scandalized and
moved to Geneva to learn
mother of his son Hector. poured derision on Mr
French and copy paintings at
(Hector Hodler would make Turrettini's
Central
the Musée Rath. He lived in
a name for himself as the Committee.
great poverty and survived
promoter of Esperanto.)
by painting "views" and shop
Despite his relationship with In 1894 he met Berthe
signs. He later described
removing the door of his Augustine, in the summer of Jacques, a secondary school-
1887 he met Bertha Stucki at teacher from a Genevan fam-
wardrobe every evening to
Därlingen near Interlaken. ily. She became first his
make his bed, his military
Two years later he married model and then his second
greatcoat serving as a blan-
her at La Chaux-de-Fonds - wife. Between 1901 and
ket. But he was to meet his
she was 21, he 36 - and two 1916 he also maintained an
saviour in the form of the
years after that they were amorous relationship with
landscape artist Barthélemy
Menn, a professor at the divorced! another model - Jeanne
École des Beaux-Arts in Charles. However, he would
In 1890 he painted one of his not meet the true love of his
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