Brief aan Andries Bonger before 1893

This is a letter written by Emile Bernard, its intimate and tactile form suggesting a direct line to the artist’s thoughts. Visually, the letter presents a dense field of text. Bernard’s handwriting creates a unique texture across the page; the strokes vary in pressure and thickness, forming a rhythm of loops, ascenders, and descenders. The sepia ink against the aged paper sets a tonal harmony, evoking a sense of history and intimacy, like a personal confidence shared across time. The letter’s structure itself is telling. Its form, with its handwritten script and personal tone, destabilizes the separation between art and life. The lack of rigid structure pushes against formal constraints, inviting us to consider how writing can also function as a visual and expressive medium. The letter is not just a message, but an artifact that complicates our understanding of artistic communication.