View to Infinity (Hodler)

During their development he designed multiple drawing, sketches and paper forms to test their impressions.

[1] For this, Karl Moser, the architect for the Kunsthaus in Zurich, was inspired by the mural Puvis de Chavannes designed for the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon.

[3] It is assumed Hodler decided on the motif of five female figures in long robes somewhen in the first months of 1913.

[4] He initially wanted to hang View into Infinity in January 1915 in Zurich, but eventually did not present it before the art association.

As he presented the version to the Art Society of Zurich in January 1916, they refused it for its sheer size.

[5] Paul Ganz from the Kunsthalle Basel visited Hodler in Geneva and then the sum of 20'000 was mentioned.

[6] The first version was shown also in an exhibit in the Kunsthaus Zurich and there offered for 50'000, but Hodler preferred the 20'000 from Basel as he saw a public collection as the ideal location for the work.

[13] According to Hodler, the women stand before the bent horizon and observe the firmament from different points of view.

[14] For Oskar Bätschmann, with the six year long comparing of different figures and versions, Hodler was on a quest for the perfect masterpiece, but at the same time also conscious of the fate that this was impossible to accomplish.

[14] Bätschmann compares Hodlers "View to Infinity" to the Large Bathers by Paul Cézanne.