This painting is one of the most gorgeous I have ever seen. Ferdinand Hodler, who I’ve done a post on before (remember the gorgeous colors of the lovers in Die Liebe?), manages to convey so much.

Die Wahrheit translates to “The Truth”.

I saw this in the Kunsthaus Zurich on my 20th birthday. I was alone. For whatever reason I felt that at the ripe age of 20 I had accomplished nothing and would be forever alone in my own failures. I have no idea why, but this idea stayed with me for months. This painting wasn’t a solution but it was a source of relief- the colors, the delicacy, the obvious symbolism and exquisite rendering.

I need a trip to Zurich to see this painting again. The entire room is full of works by Ferdinand Hodler and upon walking in everything you carried in with you leaves and you feel weightless, an empty vessel to be filled with everything Hodler.