Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin 1878 - 1941

This is Emile Bernard’s “Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin,” and it’s dated July 1894. Imagine Bernard, pen in hand, hunched over this letter, the nib scratching across the page. The ink, once dark and purposeful, has faded to a gentle sepia, mirroring the passage of time. I sympathize with Bernard here. He seems to pour his heart out, line after line, in this very personal message. It’s a cascade of cursive; the downstrokes are heavy, the connections light, creating a rhythm that feels both urgent and intimate. The pressure of his hand varies, creating a texture of dark and light, a visual echo of his emotional state. It makes me think of the letters artists like Van Gogh and Gauguin sent each other. It’s like you can hear Bernard's voice, feel his presence, even though he's long gone. It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation, sharing their thoughts and feelings across time, inspiring each other from beyond the grave.