Ferdinand Hodler
Fiction tells the truth better. Maybe reality is just too cruel to be looked upon directly, or we play too much a part in it to face it: some things need distance to be seen. At times when we are blinded by complexities or self-interest we choose not to see what might be standing in front of us because it affects our interests and desires or takes more effort than we are committed to give. It is but human to avoid suffering. While shattered glass may cut you, the transparency of some facts hurt way more. To deny those harmful entities may be seen as inoffensive self-protection, but to avoid true facts comes with a price. Ferdinand Hodler, today’s painter, was forced to accept inevitability that advised a strong consciousness. His father died and five brothers (Hodler was the youngest of six) died of tuberculosis. His mother remarried a painter, with whom Hodler learnt, but soon even his mother died of the same disease, leaving Hodler the last Holder at the young age of 13.
- Artur Deus Dionisio