Artwork

Les Bretonneries: Title Page (Page de Titre) and The Return from the Pilgrimage (Le Retour du Pardon)

Les Bretonneries: Title Page (Page de Titre) and The Return from the Pilgrimage (Le Retour du Pardon) is a print by the Impressionist artist Émile Bernard. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Émile Bernard’s 1889 black‑and‑white prints, titled *Les Bretonneries: Page de Titre* and *Le Retour du Pardon*, form a modest diptych that belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Produced during a fertile phase of Bernard’s career, the works exemplify his engagement with the post‑Impressionist currents that shaped French art at the close of the nineteenth century.

Subject & Meaning

The left sheet presents a solitary cow positioned before a tree, while a human figure’s head and shoulders emerge from the background, suggesting a quiet encounter between animal and observer. The companion image shows a lone individual seated in a boat, set against a muted landscape, evoking a moment of return after a pilgrimage and hinting at themes of travel, rest, and contemplation.

Technique & Style

Executed in stark monochrome, the prints rely on bold contour lines and textured washes that convey a sense of immediacy. Bernard’s handling of line recalls the flat, decorative qualities of Cloisonnism, yet the simplified forms and emphasis on overall harmony align with his Synthetist approach, creating depth through contrast rather than color.

History & Provenance

Created in 1889, the pair reflects Bernard’s productive period following his collaborations with Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. After changing hands among private collectors, the prints entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings, where they remain accessible for study of Bernard’s printmaking and his role in late‑nineteenth‑century avant‑garde movements.

Artist & collection

Artist

Émile Bernard

Émile Henri Bernard (French pronunciation: ; 28 April 1868 – 16 April 1941) was a French Post-Impressionist painter and writer, who had artistic friendships with Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Eugène Boch, and at a later time, Paul…