Catholicism because they believed God was noticeable in everyday life. This attraction to the Breton way of life is apparent by the way Bernard paints them. Both the woman and the landscape are drawn simply; the figures do not look realistic but the viewer is able to distinguish what each object is. The simple geometric form of the woman’s hat and the shape of the haystacks are very similar in contour, yet both are easily discernable. Likewise, the trees and the clouds are alike in their shape, as well as the curves of the woman’s eyes and mouth are similar to the rolling hills behind her. The painting is considered to be abstract because the imagery used in the work departs from representational accuracy. Abstract artists such as Bernard select and then exaggerate or simplify the forms suggested by the world around them. Bernard’s rendering of the Breton woman in her simple attire juxtaposed with the countryside communicates his belief that she is nearer to nature and God than contemporary peoples. The stylized delineation of the figures and the vivid colors convey the emotion and imaginative sensibility of the Breton women rather than simply recording what Bernard saw.The dramatic color Bernard used in “Breton Woman and Haystacks” along with the large areas of open space and bold lines that define structure, volume and texture are all characteristics of the painting that were taken from techniques used in Japanese prints. Japonisme is a term used to describe the influence of Japanese artistic and stylistic themes upon Western art. Paul Gauguin was another Post-Impressionist artist who, like Bernard, practiced Japonisme and was intrigued with the color and decorative flatness of their prints, as can be seen by his painting, “The Vision After the Sermon”. Like Bernard, Gauguin was attracted to the women of Brittany whose local customs and religious festivals seemed to hark back to the...
