Ferdinand Hodler, Ande Peak, Arve Valle, 1909
From the Musée d’Orsay:
Painted in 1909 and exhibited 1912 in Munich under the title Landscape, this painting by the Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler is now called Andey Peak, Arve Valle in Haute Savoie. The exact spot could be located by the very precise representation of the mountain peaks. However, although the line of the mountain crests is exact, the rest of the pictorial surface is treated as a highly constructive painting. It leaves no room for anecdote or any animal or human presence.
Three layers of clouds rise up towards the peak. They suggest rising altitude but they also introduced a play of forms. The two lower cloud levels are parallel to the horizontal ground, the upper layer follows the curves of the mountain. A gradation of blues establishes a palpable link between the pale base and the dark alpine summit. The valley is marked by a tender green and the sky by a pale sky blue. In its decorative approach, the painting is not unlike a Japanese print.