"Rhythm," 167×245 cm, 1895, held in the Bern Museum of Fine Arts. Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918) is the most representative painter of Symbolism and Switzerland's finest late 19th-century artist. He lost his father at four and his mother at fourteen (this life experience deeply influenced his entire life). He began studying under landscape painter Thoune. He then entered the studio of renowned painter Menn in Geneva. During this period, he became curious about French Impressionism and began studying masterpieces by Northern Renaissance masters Holbein and Duret. Fascinated by mythology, legends, dreams, and history, combined with his life experiences, these became the core of his creation. His works often reflect inner struggles and conflicts, exploring the depths of life: such as his most representative "Day," "Night," and "The Tired Life," as well as historical tragedies that haunted him, like the "Battle of Neuf." In 1889, Hodler gained attention for "March of Athletes" at the Paris World's Fair. The following year, "Day," with its Art Nouveau style, sparked debate at the Salon. His trip to Paris deepened his artistic exploration; fascinated by poet Baudelaire and composer Wagner, he delved deeper into the magical realm of Symbolism. From 1897 onwards, he received repeated recognition, including retrospectives in Munich, Berlin, and Vienna, winning various honors and large-scale decorative commissions. Hodler's paintings often present the state of life and the soul, and poetic scenes, through precise naturalistic depiction, fluid lines and forms, innovative parallel organization, musical rhythm and decorativeness, and captivating symbolism and allegory. "Rhythm" reflects how life experiences became the core of his creation, especially the struggle of life and the helplessness of death. Here, five elderly figures advance in parallel, following each other rhythmically, walking slowly on a desolate path of gravel stones. They wear white robes covering their slender bodies, with unkempt hair and beards, their faces dull with age, heading toward the end of life. Within generous linear contours and expressive forms, musical rhythmic organization, and symmetry, they express a tragic, extraordinary tension, symbolically and allegorically referring to "death."