Bernard, Émile (1868-1941)
Pont-Aven vu du Bois d’Amour (Pont-Aven Seen from the Bois d’Amour)
1892
Oil on canvas, 28-3/8 x 36-1/4 in.
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
While the Pont-Aven artists often depicted the Breton people or countryside, images of the village itself are rare. Bernard painted this luminous, panoramic vista from the road above the local Bois d’Amour, or Woods of Love. His view of the rooftops of Pont-Aven is still easily recognizable today.
This canvas reflects Bernard‘s admiration for Paul Cézanne more than his attachment to the Pont-Aven style. He imitates Cézanne‘s parallel brush strokes and his device of suggesting perspective by placing a tree in the foreground. (IMA)