Countess Brushes Her Hair 1892

Emile Bernard made this print, Countess Brushes Her Hair, using lithography. Bernard was a post-Impressionist painter, part of the avant-garde milieu in Paris. This print draws on Symbolist ideas in its references to medieval romances and fantasy. We see a lone female figure brushing her hair, while another woman in a helmet peeks from behind a curtain. The artist's style evokes the woodcut illustrations of early printed books, popularizing the backward-looking medievalism that was in vogue in the late 19th century. The style is also connected to the popular prints of the time, which were widely disseminated. How can we understand this image as part of the culture of its time? As historians, we look at the range of visual material produced at the time, and study the literary and theatrical works that were popular. By doing so, we can understand the ways that Bernard was creating an image that was both highly original, and very much of its time.