The Old Woman from Berkeley 1892

Editor: Emile Bernard’s “The Old Woman from Berkeley,” created in 1892, utilizes a mixed media approach incorporating drawing, print, and ink. The caricature feel strikes me first, almost as though peering into someone’s memory of a dream, tinged with humor. What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: Well, isn't it just wonderfully odd? That unsettling pallor of the figure in the lower left—almost ghostly. I feel transported to a half-remembered carnival sideshow, a swirl of symbolist intrigue. The sharp lines of ink feel urgent, almost feverish. Do you notice how the artist's hand is so present, like we are looking at his soul, or at least his mind at play, rather than Berkeley in 1892? Editor: Yes! The figure almost levitates from the artwork, contrasting the flat, decorative treatment of the upper background. And a certain theatrical drama that captures the feeling of symbolism. Do you feel it connects at all with any specific social critique or artistic purpose beyond the personal? Curator: Perhaps, yes, there's a gentle prodding, wouldn't you say? Berkeley as a location could be completely irrelevant, or totally essential to Bernard's intention. Was this an expatriate rendering? Who was she? Why a light to illuminate death or mourning? That, I feel, may be the underlying symbolism we see when viewing this portrait today. Editor: It is fascinating how Bernard used a unique medium to make a statement with layered personal symbolism! I never imagined I would leave contemplating this artwork through such personal introspection. Curator: Indeed! Every time, another secret emerges from this print and mixed media. And from this conversation!