Brief aan Emile Ernest Bernard Possibly 1897

Curator: Here we have "Brief aan Emile Ernest Bernard," likely from 1897, a pen and ink drawing on paper by Emile Bernard. Editor: It's more than a drawing, isn’t it? It’s raw. You see the weave of the paper itself; the furious scratching, a page pulled right from a personal sketchbook, heavy with words that want to leap off the page. Curator: Bernard seems to have captured something essential about intimacy here; a window into a conversation perhaps meant only for two people. Editor: Absolutely. Look at the almost manic density of the handwriting, the variation in pressure and line thickness from the pen. Ink was a relatively accessible medium. Paper was the ground for conveying this intimacy...what was the labor, emotional and physical, that went into setting pen to page to deliver that message? Curator: The date "janvier 97" inscribed at the top gives a sense of urgency too, wouldn't you say? The handwritten date combined with the salutation “Mon cher Père" – My dear father – feels so immediate, so pressing. Editor: There’s a social layer here too; handwritten letters, like this, were primary vectors for delivering private or potentially sensitive info; information crucial enough to take this form and face the vulnerabilities associated with the medium of its expression. Curator: I'm also drawn to how this all hints at something not explicitly said, you know? This “dernière tache" he must ‘affirm,’… it’s all whispers of drama just off the page. It reminds me of how memory works, fragments pieced together to create meaning. Editor: Right. And this highly crafted, intensely personal expression wasn't born in a vacuum. Factors like literacy rates, the cost of postal service, or Bernard's available working hours undoubtedly affected his choices...everything is material. Curator: Indeed. So, thinking about it now, it’s a work that's simple in medium, but intensely rich in personal resonance. I'm grateful to have caught a glimpse inside this exchange. Editor: And for me, pondering its creation deepens my understanding; seeing the materiality gives texture to an otherwise elusive, fleeting historical moment.