Artwork Page for The Nymphs

Details / Information for The Nymphs

The Nymphs

1890

Émile Bernard

(French, 1868–1941)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
Woodcut, hand-colored with watercolor
Measurements
Sheet: 59.1 x 47.8 cm (23 1/4 x 18 13/16 in.); Image: 47.5 x 35 cm (18 11/16 x 13 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Print Club of Cleveland in honor of the museum's one-hundredth anniversary 2015.152
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Before he had reached age 20, the precocious Bernard worked alongside Paul Gauguin and engaged in a lively correspondence with Vincent van Gogh. Toward the end of 1889, Van Gogh observed a shift in the young artist’s work and noted in a letter to his sister, “Bernard is trying to do elegant, modern figures in the manner of ancient Greek and Egyptian art.” The elongated, seemingly weightless forms in The Nymphs reflect Bernard’s stylistic evolution. This vividly hand-colored woodcut is one of only three known impressions of this print.
A vertically oriented woodcut, hand-colored with watercolor, depicts two nude nymphs with light skin tones in a landscape. On the left, one bows their head, reaching toward a pink tree. To the right, another nymph raises an arm above their head while holding a pale cloth. A single stalk with three orange flowers grows between them. Bold black outlines and hatched strokes define the figures against a bright yellow background.

The Nymphs

1890

Émile Bernard

(French, 1868–1941)
France, 19th century

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