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Student Artwork Guide

Annunciation

Émile Bernard

Name Class Date
Émile Bernard, Annunciation. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Émile Bernard wikioo.org/en/artists/emile-bernard/
Artist’s dates
1868 – 1941
Movement
Mannerism Deliberately stretched bodies and odd, crowded spaces, made once perfect balance had already been achieved.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Émile Bernard died in 1941; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2011.

Source: WikiOO.org — accessed Oct. 10, 2026

Annunciation — Émile Bernard Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Annunciation — Émile Bernard

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1860
  2. 1870
  3. 1880
  4. 1890
  5. 1900
  6. 1910
  7. 1920
  8. 1930
  9. 1940

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 73 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Émile Bernard (1868–1941) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1888 Main working years: 1888–1895 Late works: from 1895

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: wikioo.org/en/art/similar/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Driftwood #a99d70

    Catalogued palette

    • #A99D70
    • #CEC19D
    • #BDB184
    • #8C7F53

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Neutrals The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Driftwood
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Serene How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Unified Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Brilliant How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Émile Bernard over the last twelve months — 6 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 79.3%4,600 visits
    2. 2 United States of America 10.3%600 visits
    3. 3 France 5.2%300 visits
    4. 4 Argentina 1.7%100 visits
    5. 5 Germany 1.7%100 visits
    6. 6 Hong Kong 1.7%100 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Émile Bernard

    1. 1 Bathers with Red Cow 6.0%400 visits
    2. 2 Saint Mary, Mother of God, 1895 4.5%300 visits
    3. 3 Landscape, Saint Briac, 1889 4.5%300 visits
    4. 4 The Holy Family, 1896 3.0%200 visits
    5. 5 Orchard at Pont Aven, 1886 3.0%200 visits
    6. 6 Board decorated with tendrils and flowers, 1906 3.0%200 visits
    7. 7 Breton Peasants Outside a Church 3.0%200 visits
    8. 8 Catalogue for the Van Gogh Exhibition at Le Barc de Boutteville and Lottery Ticket, 1891 3.0%200 visits
    9. 9 Après le bain (les nymphes) 3.0%200 visits
    10. 10 Buckwheat Harvesters at Pont Aven 3.0%200 visits
    11. 11 After the Bath, the Nymphs 3.0%200 visits
    12. 12 View of Saint-Brieuc through the trees 3.0%200 visits
    13. 13 Breton woman near a tree 3.0%200 visits
    14. 14 Breton Women with Parasols 1.5%100 visits
    15. 15 The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1889 1.5%100 visits
    16. 16 Woman at Saint-Briac, 1886 1.5%100 visits
    17. 17 Iron Bridges at Asnières, 1887 1.5%100 visits
    18. 18 Pont-Aven Seen from the Bois d'Amour 1.5%100 visits
    19. 19 Femmes faisant les foins (Women Making Haystacks) 1.5%100 visits
    20. — Annunciation this painting 0.0%0 visits

    Together these works take 54.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 136 works by this artist, of which 50 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: WikiOO.org — accessed Oct. 10, 2026

    Annunciation — Émile Bernard Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Émile Bernard

    Born in Lille, France

    Émile Bernard: A Post-Impressionist Pioneer

    Early Life and Education

    Born: April 28, 1868, in Lille, France.

    Émile Henri Bernard’s early life was shaped by his sister's illness, leading to him being raised primarily by his grandmother, who ran a laundry in Lille. This supportive environment fostered his artistic inclinations.

    In 1878, the family relocated to Paris, where Bernard attended the Collège Sainte-Barbe.

    He began formal art studies at the École des Arts Décoratifs and later joined the Atelier Cormon in 1884. Here, he experimented with Impressionism and Pointillism.

    His expressive tendencies led to a suspension from the École des Beaux-Arts, prompting a formative journey through Brittany on foot.

    Artistic Development and Influences

    Bernard’s artistic development was significantly influenced by his travels in Brittany, where he encountered local traditions and landscapes that deeply resonated with him.

    Key Relationship: A pivotal moment came in August 1886 when he met Paul Gauguin in Pont-Aven. This encounter sparked a close artistic friendship and profoundly impacted both artists’ styles.

    Bernard's style played a crucial role in shaping Gauguin’s mature work, particularly his exploration of symbolism and flattened forms.

    He also associated with Vincent van Gogh, forming part of the “School of Petit-Boulevard” alongside Anquetin and Toulouse-Lautrec.

    Key Artistic Movements

    Cloisonnism: Bernard is considered a pioneer of Cloisonnism, a style characterized by bold, flat shapes separated by dark contours – reminiscent of stained glass.

    Synthetism: He also played a key role in the development of Synthetism, which emphasized the creation of art based on subjective experience and symbolic meaning rather than direct observation of nature.

    These movements represented a departure from Impressionism, focusing instead on structure, symbolism, and emotional expression.

    Notable Works

    La Grandmère (1887): A poignant portrait of his grandmother, showcasing the artist’s early mastery of expressive form and color. This work is considered one of his most iconic pieces.

    Numerous Breton landscapes capturing the essence of rural life in Brittany.

    Religious works such as “The Adoration of the Shepherds” demonstrating his exploration of symbolic themes.

    Literary Contributions and Historical Significance

    Beyond painting, Bernard was a prolific writer, producing plays, poetry, and art criticism. His writings provide valuable first-hand insights into the development of modern art during his time.

    Legacy: Émile Bernard’s contributions to Post-Impressionism, particularly his role in shaping Cloisonnism and Synthetism, left a lasting impact on the course of modern art.

    His work paved the way for subsequent movements like Fauvism and Expressionism, influencing generations of artists to explore subjective expression and symbolic representation.

    He died in 1941, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be celebrated for its originality and artistic innovation.

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Annunciation

    wikioo.org/en/art/download/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Bernard, Émile. Annunciation. n.d., https://wikioo.org/en/art/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/
    APA
    Bernard, Émile (n.d.). Annunciation [Painting]. https://wikioo.org/en/art/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/
    Chicago
    Émile Bernard. Annunciation. n.d. https://wikioo.org/en/art/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/
    Harvard
    Bernard, Émile (n.d.) Annunciation. Available at: https://wikioo.org/en/art/emile-bernard-annunciation-8LHT8V-en/

    Source: WikiOO.org — accessed Oct. 10, 2026

    Annunciation — Émile Bernard Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Annunciation — Émile Bernard

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 2 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: annunciation, religious figure, angel. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at Study for The Buckwheat Harvesters (1888), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: WikiOO.org — accessed Oct. 10, 2026

    Annunciation — Émile Bernard Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Which artist and which style stand behind "Annunciation"?

    Behind "Annunciation" stand Émile Bernard and the Mannerism movement.

    Is "Annunciation" by Émile Bernard in the public domain, and why?

    The copyright status of "Annunciation" - in the public domain - its copyright has expired - follows from the artist's death in 1941.

    Which period of Émile Bernard's career does "Annunciation" belong to?

    Within Émile Bernard's career, "Annunciation" falls in the Mature Period. The phase helps compare it with the artist's other works.