Three Breton Women Hanging Laundry - Émile Bernard
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A striking zincograph by Émile Bernard, featuring three women in traditional Breton dress. This work exemplifies the Cloisonnist style with its bold outlines and simplified forms.
This zincograph by Émile Bernard captures a quiet, domestic scene in rural Brittany. The work reflects the artist's involvement with the Pont-Aven school, where he developed a style characterised by flat areas of colour and bold, dark outlines. This approach, known as Cloisonnism, draws inspiration from stained glass and Japanese woodblock prints, prioritising decorative arrangement over traditional three-dimensional perspective.
The composition features three women engaged in the daily task of hanging laundry. Bernard simplifies the figures into clear, rhythmic shapes, removing unnecessary detail to focus on the essential forms of the subjects and their environment. The background is suggested through minimal lines, creating a sense of space without relying on complex shading or depth. The use of a single-colour printing process emphasises the graphic quality of the work, allowing the viewer to appreciate the strength of the artist's line and the balance of the composition.
Bernard was a contemporary of Paul Gauguin, and the two artists frequently exchanged ideas regarding the use of simplified forms and non-naturalistic colour. This print demonstrates the experimental nature of their collaboration during the late 1880s. By stripping away the academic conventions of the period, Bernard creates an image that feels immediate and direct. The figures, dressed in traditional Breton attire, are integrated into the scene, their movements echoing the patterns of the trees and the laundry lines. This work offers a clear example of the shift towards modernism, where the artist's subjective interpretation of a subject takes precedence over photographic accuracy. It remains a representative piece of the graphic output produced by the Pont-Aven circle, documenting both the regional culture of Brittany and the stylistic innovations of the era.
Return policy
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.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
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
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- 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
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
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
Three Breton Women Hanging Laundry - 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.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like