The Fribourg Bull
To scale 31 x 25 in on the wall
Representative Hand-applied gesso embellishment
About the Artwork
Hodler painted this work in 1895, a period when the Swiss master was consolidating the Parallelism principle he had formulated in the early 1890s: the idea that formal repetition and bilateral symmetry could carry emotional and symbolic weight. Though The Fribourg Bull does not stage the grand symbolic allegories of his Symbolist-inflected figure paintings, the same compositional instincts are at work: a single dominant form set against a simplified ground, the horizon line low and steady, the sky acting as a foil rather than a drama. Hodler was by this point the leading figure in Swiss Symbolism and had already won the controversy and recognition that came with his 1890 Zurich exhibition of Die Nacht. His animal studies, rare in his output, reveal how completely the unifying logic of his mature style pervaded even casual or private subjects. The painting's directness connects it to a broader Central European tradition of unsentimental livestock portraiture while giving it an edge of personal formal conviction that is unmistakably Hodler's.
Product Specifications
- Finished size
- 31 x 25 in
- Frame
- Gold, premium resin, mitred
- Canvas
- Heavyweight Fredrix poly/cotton
- Finish
- Hand-applied gesso embellishment
- Inks
- Archival HP Latex, 100-year colorfastness
- Stretcher
- Solid poplar, kiln dried
- Hanging
- Wire and dust cover fitted
- Item
- 2980121
Shipping, Returns & Care
Shipping & Delivery
Free shipping in the continental U.S. on every order, every size.
Every piece is made to order and ships by the next business day (Monday–Friday). Most orders placed before 2 p.m. Eastern ship the same day. We email tracking the moment your piece ships.
Returns & The Love-It Guarantee
We want every Canvas Classic to find the right home. If your piece doesn't live up to the expectation we set, return it within 30 days for a full refund: no questions, no restocking fee, no shipping charges on us.
Pieces that arrive damaged in transit are replaced or refunded immediately. Email our team with a photo within 7 days of receipt.
Care & Hanging
Every piece arrives ready to hang: wire hardware pre-installed, kraft paper dust cover, gallery-finished corners.
Hanging: Every painting ships with a double-nail courtesy hook rated for every size, Estate included.
Care: Dust lightly with a soft, dry cloth as needed. Avoid direct sunlight to preserve the colors. Avoid hanging in high-humidity environments (bathrooms with active showers). Our finish is durable but is not waterproof.
What collectors say about our canvases.
Every Canvas Classic is the same museum-quality framed giclee; only the image changes. These are reviews from collectors across the collection.
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