Brief aan Andries Bonger 1878 - 1936

Emile Bernard wrote this letter to Andries Bonger, though exactly when, we don’t know. I imagine him, pen in hand, hovering over the page, his thoughts spilling out in a hurried, almost frantic script. The letters jostle against each other like anxious crowds in a marketplace. I feel the weight of his words, their urgency pressing against me, a silent plea echoing across time. Perhaps he wrestled with each phrase, crossing out and rewriting, searching for the elusive precision of language to capture the complexities of his thoughts and feelings. Maybe this letter was a lifeline thrown across a sea of doubt, a desperate attempt to connect with another soul who understood the language of art. He may have found solace in the act of writing itself, each word a brushstroke painting a portrait of his inner world. And, through this letter, Bernard extends an invitation to future painters to join the conversation.