Verwundeter Krieger mit Flamberg

For the two narrow walls of the Waffenhalle, the central hall of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, which opened in 1898, the beginning and end of the federal power politics were to be depicted; the latter marking the Battle of Marignano in 1515, in which the dreaded, usually victorious Swiss infantry was defeated by the modern artillery of François I. Hodler won the competition announced on August 1, 1896, which was decided on January 26, 1897, by a jury of artists, including Anker and Koller, and architects. Heinrich Angst, the director of the museum, sparked fierce opposition, which led to the biggest art controversy in Switzerland and, for many inhabitants of Zurich, marked the move from realism to a modern conception of art. In 1900, after endless requests for corrections and obstructions, which finally had to be ended by an intervention from the Federal Council, Hodler was able to complete the fresco (see Ferdinand Hodler (exh. cat. Zurich/Berlin, Nationalgalerie/Paris, Musée du Petit Palais 1983), pp. 113-126, 259-269; Jura Brüschweiler: Ferdinand Hodler (exh. cat. Martigny 1991), pp. 196-235; Ferdinand Hodler. Vom Frühwerk bis zur Jahrhundertwende. Zeichnungen aus der Graphischen Sammlung des Kunsthauses Zürich (Zürich 1990; = Collection Booklet 15), pp. 102-127; Vom Karton zum Wandbild. Ferdinand Hodlers 'Rückzug von Marignano' (Zeitschrift für Schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte, ZAK 57, 2000/3 [thematisches Heft]), 2000). The 'Wounded Warrior with Flamberg' is the figure in the size and quality of execution required for the competition in addition to the design for the overall composition. It earned Hodler the nickname 'Bluthodler' [Blood-Hodler] from his opponents. Source