(Berne 1853–1918 Geneva)
Portrait of an unknown woman, circa 1880, oil on canvas, 40 x 32.5 cm, framed, (PS)

This work is registered with the Swiss Institute for Art Research, SIK-ISEA as archive no. 81337.

Exhibited:
Städtische Galerie Biel, Ferdinand Hodler, 16.11.1955 – 5.2.1956 (title: Portrait of a girl)

Literature:
Carl Albert Loosli, supplement to the general catalogue of paintings by Ferdinand Hodler, 1924–1959, index cards with handwritten entries, etc. unpublished, on long-term loan from the Musée d’art histoire, Neuenburg, to the Swiss Institute for Art Research, no. 2829
Oskar Bätschmann and Paul Müller, Ferdinand Hodler, Catalogue raisonné der Gemälde, vol. 2, Die Bildnisse, Swiss Institute for Art Research, Zürich 2012, no. 703 (SIK81337), p. 126 (colour ill.)

Provenance:
C. F. Frey, Basle (1940)
Galerie Dr. Willi Raeber, Basle (1959)
Succession of private ownerships

“The head is the key area in any portrait and is the focus of all interest. The ensemble, shaped by the facial features, is made up of the most expressive elements; it is the effect of the work as a whole, which captivates and impresses the viewer (...).”
(Ferdinand Hodler, op. cit., p. 21)

At a time when photography was an upcoming medium, a new legitimacy had to be found for painted portraits. Hodler’s life-long investigation of portraiture was the expression and result of an ongoing interest in people, their physique, their appearance, their physiognomy, their gaze and the registering of their life experiences in their facial features. (idem., p. 16f) Hodler sought new artistic solutions beyond an exact re-presentation of his subjects. He stated that the goal of portraiture should be an “absolute visualisation” of the sitter, in which the likeness should be “complete and arresting”. The painting, ‘Portrait of an unknown person’, executed circa 1880, depicts a young woman. The slightly low-angled viewpoint allows the viewer to gaze at her evenly proportioned, lively face. Her averted posture appears milder than comparative depictions of men by the artist, whom he frequently paints from a frontal perspective. The figure’s movement allows Hodler to capture her youth and the grace of her physicality. The sitter’s inclines her head thoughtfully and searchingly, and she meets the viewer’s gaze. The way the light falls causes her young, pale face to glow like porcelain, and it stands out clearly with its rosy cheeks against her neat, black dress and the simplified pictorial ground. The sparse contrasts between light and dark are characteristic of early portraits by Hodler. The finely modelled lines around the eyes, mouth and cheeks and the fine, dry application of paint are typical of the artist’s painterly style. SIK suggests a date of execution of circa 1880. (idem., p. 126).
(Oskar Bätschmann, ‘Ferdinand Hodler als Porträtist’, in: Catalogue raisonné der Gemälde, vol. 2, Die Bildnisse, p. 16 f)