Orpheus and Eurydice (plate, folio 123) from Les Amours (The Loves)

Émile Bernard

1915

An etching on paper by Émile Bernard that reimagines the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, using simplified, carved lines and a spare decorative approach to make an ancient tale feel modern.

You first notice the strong incised outlines and warm brown tone: Orpheus, lyre in hand, strides with a sculptural, twisting pose while Eurydice follows close behind, their stylized, flattened bodies set against a spare, rocky horizon.

The print synthesizes Bernard’s Symbolist and cloisonnist tendencies—recalling woodcut aesthetics—to help revive printmaking and illustrated books as important sites for modern reinterpretations of classical myth.

Palette

Exhibitions

Women of the Nineties: Fin-de-Siècle Prints

1979

Symbolism, Synthesists, and the Fin-de-Siècle

1972

The Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934

1934

French Paintings from the Molyneux Collection

1952