Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin 1878 - 1941

Emile Bernard made this letter to Héloïse Bernard-Bodin, and it's like a burst of purple energy frozen on paper. Look at the way the handwriting sprawls across the page, a real dance of words, like he's trying to capture a fleeting thought before it disappears. You can see the whole process of writing right there, immediate, urgent. The ink is thick in places, thin in others, giving the letter a sense of depth. It's like you can almost feel the pressure of the pen on the paper, the scratching and the quick, impulsive movements. The purple jumps out against the aged paper and it all makes the words feel very personal, almost like a secret whispered directly to you. Notice how some lines seem to rush ahead, while others linger. It's this push and pull that gives the letter its rhythm, its unique voice. Bernard, who moved through Impressionism and Symbolism, reminds me a bit of Van Gogh in his raw emotionality, though here channelled through the written word. These artists remind us that art doesn't need to be perfect to be powerful. It's in the imperfections, in the little quirks and stumbles, that we find the real beauty and meaning.