Les Bretonneries: The Harvesters - Émile Bernard
Archival giclée
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Description
A striking etching by Émile Bernard depicting harvesters in Brittany, rendered in the bold, simplified style of the Cloisonnist movement.
This etching by Émile Bernard, titled Les Bretonneries: The Harvesters, captures the rural life of Brittany during the late nineteenth century. Bernard, a contemporary of Paul Gauguin, was a central figure in the development of Cloisonnism. This style is defined by the use of bold, flat forms separated by dark, heavy contours, a technique clearly visible in the simplified shapes of the figures and the surrounding trees.
The composition focuses on the rhythmic movement of the harvesters as they work in the fields. Bernard eschews traditional perspective, opting instead for a flattened pictorial space that emphasises the decorative quality of the scene. The figures are rendered with minimal detail, their forms reduced to essential silhouettes that convey the physical exertion of agricultural labour. The background, featuring rounded tree forms and a simplified horizon, reinforces the graphic nature of the work.
Bernard's approach to printmaking reflects his broader interest in synthetic art, where the artist prioritises memory and imagination over direct observation. By stripping away unnecessary detail, he creates a scene that feels both immediate and timeless. The stark contrast between the dark, etched lines and the lighter paper surface creates a sense of depth without relying on traditional shading or modelling. This print offers a clear example of the stylistic shifts occurring in French art during the late 1880s, as artists moved away from the naturalism of Impressionism toward more symbolic and decorative modes of expression. The work remains a representative piece of the Pont-Aven School, documenting the rustic subjects that fascinated many artists of the period.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
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- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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Care & Cleaning
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
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- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Les Bretonneries: The Harvesters - Émile Bernard
Artist Biography
Emile Bernard
He was raised by his grandmother, who owned a laundry in Lille, because his younger sister was ill and required his parents' full attention. He entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris but was expelled for insubordination. At the Academie Cormon he met Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh; his friendship with Van Gogh produced some of the most important letters in art history.
Bernard and Gauguin fell out definitively in 1891 over the paternity of Symbolism and cloisonnism. Bernard believed he had been written out of the story, which he had. He spent years writing criticism and art history to set the record straight, producing first-hand accounts of the period that remain primary sources.
His later work turned conservative. He travelled to Egypt, studied the Old Masters, and repudiated the avant-garde experiments of his youth. The early paintings, made between 1886 and 1897 when he was barely out of his teens, are the ones that matter. He was brilliant too young and spent the rest of his career looking backwards. His correspondence with Van Gogh, preserved and published, is one of the most direct records of how two young painters in the 1880s thought about colour, composition and what painting was for.
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