Night
1889–1890 · Oil on canvas · Kunstmuseum Bern
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About this work
- Artist
- Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918)
- Year
- 1889–1890
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 116.5 × 299 cm
- Collection
- Kunstmuseum Bern
- Movement
- Symbolism
Sleepers lie across a long, frieze-like canvas on dark cloths, some naked and some partly draped, while in the centre a man jolts awake, eyes wide, as a figure shrouded in black crouches over his body; the ground is pale and a strip of deep blue sky runs along the top. Hodler completed it in 1890, and it marked his turn to Symbolism; he meant the shrouded figure as death. Geneva's mayor judged it obscene and it was withdrawn from an exhibition there in 1891, but at the Paris Salon a few months later it was championed by Puvis de Chavannes and Rodin.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Black drapery, pale bodies and a deep blue band of sky make a dramatic, adult picture for a study, library or bedroom. Pair it with Fuseli's The Nightmare at 36×24 in a black frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1889–1890)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- bedroom, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 36×24. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Night in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Night painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.





























