About
Émile Henri Bernard, born in Lille in 1868, was a French painter, engraver, and writer. A major figure of Post-Impressionism, he co-founded Synthetism and Cloisonnism with Paul Gauguin and Louis Anquetin during his stays in Brittany. His work *Breton Women in the Green Meadow* (1888) is considered a manifesto of Synthetism. After a break with Gauguin in 1891, he evolved toward a more classical style. He lived in Egypt from 1893 to 1903, then returned to France. A prolific writer, he founded the journal *La Rénovation Esthétique* and maintained an important correspondence with Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne. He died in Paris in 1941.
* 1868-04-28 — † 1941-04-16
Major works
- Bretonnes dans la prairie verte (1888)painting
- Madeleine au Bois d'Amour (1888)painting
- Baigneuses à la vache rouge (1887)painting
- Autoportrait au tableau « Baigneuses à la vache rouge » (1889)painting
Key milestones
- 1886-1892Stays in Brittany (Saint-Briac, Pont-Aven) where he developed Synthetism and Cloisonnism with Gauguin and Anquetin.
- 1891Definitive break with Gauguin, believing his role in creating pictorial Symbolism was insufficiently acknowledged.
- 1893-1903Lived in Egypt under the patronage of Antoine de la Rochefoucauld, producing Orientalist works.
Themes
SynthetismCloisonnismBrittany and landscapesOrientalismPortraits and self-portraits
Sources: museothyssen.org · art.rmngp.fr