Artwork
Die Wahrheit
Die Wahrheit is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Ferdinand Hodler. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1902, *Die Wahrheit* is an oil painting by Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler. The work is part of the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich and exemplifies Hodler’s mature Symbolist phase, in which he pursued a compositional system he called “parallelism.”
Subject & Meaning
At the center of the canvas stands a nude female figure, arms outstretched, holding a mirror. She is encircled by a group of cloaked figures whose faces and bodies are concealed by dark robes. The contrast between the exposed central woman and the masked surrounding participants suggests a meditation on truth, revelation, and concealment.
Technique & Style
Hodler employs a rhythmic, symmetrical arrangement of forms, characteristic of his parallelism approach. The figures are rendered with smooth, flattened modeling, while the background consists of a light field of green grass dotted with blue flowers, providing a subdued setting that emphasizes the stark tonal differences between the central figure and the surrounding cloaks.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to representing key works of Swiss Symbolism and Hodler’s influence on early‑20th‑century art.
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…
