Brief aan Andries Bonger before 1913

This handwritten letter was composed by Emile Bernard, probably in the 1890's. Look at this cursive! The rhythm and the dance of the letters! The quick, expressive gestures somehow remind me of Twombly’s scribbles, but with a touch of French elegance. The ink, a uniform, deep black, flows across the page with a life of its own, as though the words are not just written but poured onto the page, like a dark, intense glaze. I’m drawn to the way Bernard's handwriting loops and swirls. He talks about impressions of travel, and I get this sense of movement in the way he forms his letters. It’s like he's sketching thoughts rather than writing them down, capturing the essence of a moment with each curve and line. It makes me think about how we communicate, how artists communicate, and how sometimes the most personal, spontaneous marks can reveal more than any carefully planned statement. It’s like peeking into his mind, a mind overflowing with impressions and ideas, and it resonates with the way he approached his paintings, always searching for that raw, unfiltered expression.