This panel discussion brings literature and painting into dialogue around Ferdinand Hodler, a major figure in Swiss art, and the perspective of writer and essayist Metin Arditi on his work.
Metin Arditi invites us to rediscover Hodler through the eyes of a writer: a personal perspective attentive to the connections between art, history, memory and identity. His own journey between Turkey and Switzerland informs a particular reflection on belonging and on the ways in which a country tells and represents its own story.
In light of the exhibition Ferdinand Hodler. Profession of Faith, which explores the connections between Hodler’s work and religion, the discussion will focus on the spiritual dimension of his painting. How does Hodler transform the idea of creation and transpose it into his representation of nature? And how does this quest for unity, contemplation and transcendence continue to resonate today?
This conversation will bring the painter’s vision into dialogue with the writer’s voice, bringing together two sensibilities and two eras, and offering a renewed perspective on the work of Ferdinand Hodler.