Treurende oude vrouwen - Émile Bernard
Archival giclée
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Description
A striking woodcut by Émile Bernard, featuring mourning figures rendered in the bold, graphic style of the Cloisonnist movement.
This woodcut by Émile Bernard, titled Treurende oude vrouwen, demonstrates the artist's engagement with the Cloisonnist style. Developed in the late 1880s, this approach is defined by bold, dark outlines that enclose flat areas of colour, a technique inspired by stained glass and Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Bernard, a contemporary of Paul Gauguin, was instrumental in moving away from the naturalistic representation favoured by the Impressionists, opting instead for a more symbolic and graphic visual language.
The composition depicts a group of elderly women gathered in a state of collective grief. Their forms are heavily draped in heavy, angular robes, which serve to emphasise the weight of their sorrow. The stark contrast between the dark, thick lines and the lighter background creates a sense of graphic clarity. The architectural elements in the background, featuring stepped gables, suggest a Northern European setting, perhaps reflecting the artist's interest in the medieval aesthetic. The presence of a small child held by one of the figures adds a layer of vulnerability to the scene, contrasting the fragility of youth with the weathered appearance of the mourning women.
Bernard's use of the woodcut medium is deliberate. The inherent limitations of carving into wood encourage a simplification of form, which aligns with his broader artistic goals during this period. By stripping away unnecessary detail, he focuses the viewer's attention on the emotional posture of the figures and the rhythmic arrangement of their silhouettes. This work is a clear example of the shift towards modernism, where the artist prioritises the expressive potential of line and shape over the accurate depiction of light and atmosphere. The print remains a compelling study of human emotion rendered through a disciplined, graphic lens.
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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
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
Treurende oude vrouwen - 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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