The Bells

Art Historical Context

Fernand Khnopff’s 1905 print *The Bells* exemplifies the refined intimacy of early twentieth-century Symbolist works on paper. Created as a drypoint touched with colored pencil, this touched proof reveals the artist’s direct intervention in the printing process. Drypoint’s characteristically soft, velvety lines, produced by the burr of the needle on the copper plate, lend the image a delicate, almost atmospheric quality that Khnopff further enhanced by hand-coloring select areas. Measuring just 20 by 15.2 centimeters in the plate, the work rewards close viewing, inviting visitors to appreciate how the artist balanced precise linear detail with subtle passages of color. As a unique impression rather than a standard edition print, it underscores Khnopff’s experimental approach to printmaking at a moment when many Symbolist artists were exploring the expressive possibilities of graphic media. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s collection through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, *The Bells* offers a quiet window into Khnopff’s poetic sensibility and the technical sophistication of turn-of-the-century print culture.