Gifts from the Gods (plate, folio 70) from Les Amours (The Loves)
Émile Bernard
French, 1868–1941
1915
An etching from Émile Bernard’s illustrated book Les Amours in which the artist translates a mythic, sensual tableau into spare, flowing etched lines and warm-toned printing.
You first notice the compact, theatrical cluster of nude figures, their bodies defined by rhythmic, chiseled contours and delicate hatching in a warm brown tone that suggests light and movement more than full modeling.
The plate illustrates how early 20th-century artists revived classical and Symbolist themes in intimate hand-printed books, adapting traditional etching techniques to a modern decorative and narrative sensibility.
Medium
Etching from an illustrated book with 157 woodcuts and 17 etchings (including wrapper front)
Dimensions
plate: 10 7/8 × 7 13/16" (27.7 × 19.9 cm); page (irreg.): 12 5/8 × 9 11/16" (32 × 24.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
679.1964.93
Palette
Exhibitions
