Brief aan Emile Ernest Bernard en Héloïse Bernard-Bodin 1878 - 1941

This letter, made by Emile Bernard sometime around 1897, looks to me like an exercise in intimacy. I imagine Bernard settling into the act of writing, dipping his pen into ink and letting the words flow. The violet ink creates a delicate, ephemeral quality, as if the words might fade with time. You can almost feel the rhythm of his hand moving across the page, forming each letter with care. It makes me wonder about the relationship between writing and painting—how both can be a form of mark-making, a way of translating thoughts and emotions into a physical form. I feel like he’s really showing off here, not just his knowledge but also his ability to be so vulnerable with the recipients of the letter. This letter feels like a study in observation, echoing the intimate portraits that he was making at the time, reminding us that artists are always in conversation, responding to each other's ideas and pushing the boundaries of what art can be.