The Architecture of Mortality Born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1853, Ferdinand Hodler’s early years were defined by a quiet, persistent grief. Before he reached adolescence, the tuberculosis that claimed his father and two younger brothers left a void in his household. This early encounter with loss became a recurring motif in his work, a shadow that would follow him from the modest beginnings of his apprenticeship to the heights of his professional career. He began his training as a decorative painter, assisting his stepfather with commercial sign-work, a practical education that instilled in…