Impressionism and Open-Air Painting
Mountains did not become a subject of aesthetic interest until the 18th century. Most of the artists who worked in Italy produced distant views as backgrounds for their studio paintings, although one frequently depicted exception was Vesuvius. However, it was in central Europe that the iconography of mountains gave rise to the most original expressions, often mid-way between Romantic idealisation and scientiﬁc interest. Open-air studies of mountains were also produced in countries such as Austria, France and Spain. In the early 20th century, mountains took on a symbolic, monumental character in the work of the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler.
Ferdinand Hodler El Niesen visto desde Heustrich, 1910
- Oil on canvas. 83 x 105.5 cm.
- Kunstmuseum, Basel. Switzerland