Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin Possibly 1898

This is a letter from 1898, penned by Emile Bernard, likely with ink on paper. The overall visual experience is defined by the linear quality of the handwriting. The script is dense, filling the page with uniformly dark lines against the lighter ground of the paper. The composition is informal. Bernard’s approach here, in line with his artistic philosophy, is to fill the space almost completely, allowing the script itself to become a field of marks. The lines aren't just carriers of linguistic meaning, but also become visual elements, akin to brushstrokes in a painting. This transforms the letter into a space where writing destabilizes the boundary between the textual and the visual, inviting the viewer to consider it not just for its content but as an art form. It challenges fixed meanings, presenting new ways of thinking about representation. The density of the script functions aesthetically as a complex, textured surface and as an intimate form of communication.