Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin 1878 - 1941

This is a letter, "Brief aan Héloïse Bernard-Bodin," by Emile Bernard, penned in 1893. The script sprawls across the page in graphite, forming a textured field of pale grey against the off-white paper. The density of the writing is quite uniform, creating an overall sense of a contained block, punctuated by crossings out. The composition here isn't merely about conveying information; it's a constructed space. Bernard uses the act of writing itself as a kind of drawing. The evenness of the script and its distribution across the surface suggest a deliberate attempt to fill, and thus control the space. This approach challenges the traditional hierarchy where text serves only communication; here, it also functions as a visual element. The letter creates a sense of intimacy but also distance. The words, though personal, are presented in a manner that emphasizes their formal qualities. This duality invites reflection on how we engage with texts, not just for their content but also as constructed objects with their own aesthetic presence.