Artwork
Anbetung
Anbetung is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Ferdinand Hodler. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1898, *Anbetung* 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 period, during which he pursued a personal visual language within the broader Symbolist movement.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a youthful figure seated cross‑legged amid a verdant landscape dotted with delicate white and blue blossoms. The boy, dressed in a simple white shirt and shorts, gazes to his left while his hands rest lightly on his knees, evoking a quiet, meditative atmosphere that suggests contemplation or reverence.
Technique & Style
Hodler employs a restrained palette of greens, whites, and muted blues, rendering the natural setting with smooth, flattened surfaces. The painting reflects his “parallelism” approach, in which figures and elements are arranged in harmonious, rhythmic lines that emphasize unity over individual detail, a hallmark of his Symbolist phase.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, *Anbetung* has remained in Switzerland, entering the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s representation of late‑nineteenth‑century Symbolist art. The work has been referenced in scholarly surveys of Hodler’s oeuvre as a key example of his later stylistic development.
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…
