Post-Impressionism:

Emile Bernard

(1868-1941)

co-developed Synthetism

Artistic development of Bernard:
In his early years he experimented with Impressionism and Néo-Impressionism. Inspired by Anquetin he was one of the first to paint in a Cloisonnist style (1887) and developed with Gauguin Synthetism (1888). In the next pictures you can discern this development. I will render them by form and chronological.

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbl, The entrance to Asnières, the Haywagon, 53x45, private (iR2;iR10) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbl, The entrance to Asnières, the Haywagon, 53×45, private (iR2;iR10)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbl, Young Breton at Pont-Aven, 52x45, A2006 (iR2;iR10;iR15;M73) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbl, Young Breton at Pont-Aven, 52×45, A2006 (iR2;iR10;iR15;M73)

Émile Bernard: 1888, SDbl, L121, La Moisson (Pont-Aven), 45x56, Orsay (iR10;iR6;iR66;R181II,p513;M1) Provenance: Mme Gloannec; Gauguin; Vollard. — Émile Bernard: 1888, SDbl, L121, La Moisson (Pont-Aven), 45×56, Orsay (iR10;iR6;iR66;R181II,p513;M1) Provenance: Mme Gloannec; Gauguin; Vollard.

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, Apple Pickers at Pont-Aven, 76x62, private (iR2) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, Apple Pickers at Pont-Aven, 76×62, private (iR2)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1889ca, Breton peasants, 55x46, Axx (iR2;iR6;iR15;iR10) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1889ca, Breton peasants, 55×46, Axx (iR2;iR6;iR15;iR10)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, Pink Street in Pont-Aven, 115x83, A2013/12/04 (iR10;iR14;iR2) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, Pink Street in Pont-Aven, 115×83, A2013/12/04 (iR10;iR14;iR2)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, Sbr, Street in Pont-Aven, 43x60, VGM Amsterdam (M73) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, Sbr, Street in Pont-Aven, 43×60, VGM Amsterdam (M73)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbr, Two Breton women in a meadow, 62x82, VGM Amsterdam (iR2;M73) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1886, SDbr, Two Breton women in a meadow, 62×82, VGM Amsterdam (iR2;M73)

Émile Bernard: 1887, SDbr, Two woman at the Asnière footbridge, 38x47, MBA Brest (iR6;iR23;R181II,p359;M213) — Émile Bernard: 1887, SDbr, Two woman at the Asnière footbridge, 38×47, MBA Brest (iR6;iR23;R181II,p359;M213)

Émile Bernard: 1887, SDbr, Iron Bridges at Asnières, 46x54, MoMa New York (iR6;R181II,p354;M41) — Émile Bernard: 1887, SDbr, Iron Bridges at Asnières, 46×54, MoMa New York (iR6;R181II,p354;M41)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl (Pont-Aven), Madeleine dans le Bois d'Amour, 138x163, Orsay (iR2;iR6;M1) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl (Pont-Aven), Madeleine dans le Bois d’Amour, 138×163, Orsay (iR2;iR6;M1)

Émile Bernard: 1888, L123, SDbr, Buckwheat Harvesters, xx, Metropolitan (iR6;iR10;R181II,p487;M23)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl, Bretonnes au goémon, wc+g, 27x41, MDMD Saint-Germain-en-Lays (iR23;iR19;M214) =V1889, no.80 or 81 or 82, Croquis à Pont-Aven - Aquarelle — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl, Bretonnes au goémon, wc+g, 27×41, MDMD Saint-Germain-en-Lays (iR23;iR19;M214) =V1889, no.80 or 81 or 82, Croquis à Pont-Aven – Aquarelle

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl, Bord de mer en Bretagne, Saint-Briac, 70x91, MBA Brest (iR10;iR94;iR23;iR6;R285,p200;M213) Expo: =?? SdI-1892-105, La mer sauvage, St-Briac (1891). — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888, SDbl, Bord de mer en Bretagne, Saint-Briac, 70×91, MBA Brest (iR10;iR94;iR23;iR6;R285,p200;M213) Expo: =?? SdI-1892-105, La mer sauvage, St-Briac (1891).

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, Springtime (Madeleine at the Bois d'Amour), 74x100 (or 42x50), Axx (iR2;iR6;iR15) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, Springtime (Madeleine at the Bois d’Amour), 74×100 (or 42×50), Axx (iR2;iR6;iR15)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, SDbr, Breton Women with umbrellas, 81x105, Orsay (iR6;iR8;iR23;iR2;R16,p73) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, SDbr, Breton Women with umbrellas, 81×105, Orsay (iR6;iR8;iR23;iR2;R16,p73)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1892, SDbl, Le marché aux cochons, xx, xx (iR155;iR10)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941):
Attended the studio of Cormon (1884 till 1886/04/06) with Anquetin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh. In 1887 Bernard attended the Académie Julian (1887), but most sources don’t connect him to Les Nabis, which emerged from pupils of the Académie Julian in 1888.

Bernard is related to the school of Pont-Aven, inspired by Anquetin he was one of the first to paint in a Cloisonnist style (1887) and developed with Gauguin Synthetism (1888). Soon afterwards others saw Gauguin as the great inspirator, a view Bernard disputed. Contemporary art-historian acknowledge Bernard his share in the development of Synthetism, but regard his painting qualities as inferior (R88;R74,p293).

Bernard travelled in foreign countries from 1893-1904. After that he applied a more traditional form of art. He was also an art-critic and an art-theoretician (see publications↓). In his late years he was a teacher at the École des Beaux-Arts.

Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901): 1885-86, Portrait of Émile Bernard, 54x45, NG London (iR6;M61) — Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901): 1885-86, Portrait of Émile Bernard, 54×45, NG London (iR6;M61)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1897, SDtl (à nos amis de Hollande), Self-Portrait (Table with a vase of roses), 53x42, RM Amsterdam (iR6;iR10;iR2;M77) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1897, SDtl (à nos amis de Hollande), Self-Portrait (Table with a vase of roses), 53×42, RM Amsterdam (iR6;iR10;iR2;M77)

Emile Schuffenecker: 1889ca, Mbl, Portrait d’Émile Bernard, pastel, 44x33, MBA Pont-Aven (iR23;M216) — Emile Schuffenecker: 1889ca, Mbl, Portrait d’Émile Bernard, pastel, 44×33, MBA Pont-Aven (iR23;M216)

Connections:
Bernard was connected with Anquetin, Cézanne (1904 onwards), Gauguin (1886-1891), Schuffenecker (since 1886?), Signac (around 1886), Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh (1887-90).

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888ca, L138, Portrait d'Émile Schuffenecker, 54x65, A2008/05/08 (iR6;iR14) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888ca, L138, Portrait d’Émile Schuffenecker, 54×65, A2008/05/08 (iR6;iR14)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888-89, L136, Portrait of Mme Schuffenecker, 32x40, A2015/05/06 (iR2;iR14;iR6) — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888-89, L136, Portrait of Mme Schuffenecker, 32×40, A2015/05/06 (iR2;iR14;iR6)

Émile Bernard: 1888, SDtr, Self-portrait with portrait of Paul Gauguin (à Vincent), 47x56, VGM Amsterdam (iR10;M73;iR6;iR8;R181II,p479) — Émile Bernard: 1888, SDtr, Self-portrait with portrait of Paul Gauguin (à Vincent), 47×56, VGM Amsterdam (iR10;M73;iR6;iR8;R181II,p479)

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1889ca, Le Cauchemar (the nightmare), Exposition Volpini (Schuffenecker, Bernard, Gauguin), dr, xx, xx (iR6;R5,p170)

Paul Gauguin: 1888, CR309, SDbr, Self Portrait (Les Misérables; à Vincent; with a portrait of Émile Bernard), 45x55, VGM Amsterdam (iR2;R181,no309;R128,no239;M73) — Paul Gauguin: 1888, CR309, SDbr, Self Portrait (Les Misérables; à Vincent; with a portrait of Émile Bernard), 45×55, VGM Amsterdam (iR2;R181,no309;R128,no239;M73)

Paul Sérusier (1864-1927): 1893, Portrait of Emile Bernard at Florence, 73x57, private (iR2) — Paul Sérusier (1864-1927): 1893, Portrait of Emile Bernard at Florence, 73×57, private (iR2)

Exhibitions:
Bernard exhibited at Volpini (1889),
at the Salon des Indépendants (1891+1892+1902+1905+1906),
at the first two Expositions Impressionnistes et Symbolistes (1891 + 1892),
at the Salon de la Rose+Croix (1892),
at the Exposition Universelle in 1900.
One of his works was exhibited in the “impressionist” room at an exhibition in Rome in 1913.

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1887, SDbr, Après-midi à Saint-Briac, oil + petrol, 46x55, Kunsthaus Aarau (iR155;iR10;iR6) Expo: Volpini-1889-87, Ludovic Némo, Après-midi à Saint-Briac, peinture pétrole (1887), appartient à Émile Schuffenecker. — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1887, SDbr, Après-midi à Saint-Briac, oil + petrol, 46×55, Kunsthaus Aarau (iR155;iR10;iR6) Expo: Volpini-1889-87, Ludovic Némo, Après-midi à Saint-Briac, peinture pétrole (1887), appartient à Émile Schuffenecker.

Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888/08, L114, SDbl, Breton Women in the Meadow (Le Pardon de Pont-Aven), 74x93, Orsay (M1;iR10;iR104;iR6;R181II,p458) Expo: =!? Volpini-1889-14, Les Bretonnes, Appartient à Mme Berthe; SdI-1892-98, Pardon à Pont-Aven (1888). Provenance: Arsène Alexandre; 1903ca Vollard; 1903+ Denis. — Émile Bernard (1868-1941): 1888/08, L114, SDbl, Breton Women in the Meadow (Le Pardon de Pont-Aven), 74×93, Orsay (M1;iR10;iR104;iR6;R181II,p458) Expo: =!? Volpini-1889-14, Les Bretonnes, Appartient à Mme Berthe; SdI-1892-98, Pardon à Pont-Aven (1888). Provenance: Arsène Alexandre; 1903ca Vollard; 1903+ Denis.

Publications:
Notes sur l’École dite de Pont-Aven. In Mercure de France, December 1903. (R181II,p628).
Mémoire pour l’histoire du Symbolisme pictural en 1890. In Maintenant no.3, 1919/08/26. (R181II,p469+628)
‘Quelques souvenirs inédits sur l’artiste peintre Paul Gauguin et ses compagnons lors de leur séjours à Pont-Aven et au Pouldu’
1: ‘Quelques souvenirs de Pont-Aven (1888) (1939/02/23).
2: ‘L’école symboliste ou synthétique’ (1939/03/05).
3: ‘La première manifestation synthétiste’ (1939/03/12). (R181II,p628)

Sources: R298,p33; R88I,p48-50; R9,p78/79; R181,p593+598/9; R229,p200; iR216; R16,p72/3.
See links for info + pictures on the internet + musea: WikiPedia (iR3), in French (iR4), Wikimedia (iR6), Joconde (iR23), Van Gogh Museum (M73); Musée d’Orsay (M1).
Catalogue Raisonné by Luthi (=L; 1982).

Recommanded citation: Post-Impressionism: Emile Bernard (1868-1941). Last modified 2025/02/11. https://www.impressionism.nl/emile-bernard-1868-1941/”

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