AESTHETIC VIEWS OF FERDINAND HODLER: FROM THE THEORY OF PARALLELISM TO SYMBOLIC FORMS AND IMAGES

This article examines the aesthetic views of the Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918) in the context of the evolution of his creation. The outstanding European master was noted by his contemporaries in the first row of artists who significantly influenced on the development of painting at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. The relevance of the presented work lies in the objective significance of Hodler's ideas in the view of the universe, on the issues of constructing space in painting. The theoretical heritage of the artist, including the basic provisions of his theory of parallelism, for the first time in Russian art history is analyzed in depth based on his notes and statements of different years. The main provisions of the Fribourg’s lecture “Mission of the Artist” (1897) are considered in connection with the creative practice of the artist and in the context of the ideas of European symbolism and Art Nouveau.