James Ensor

James Ensor
Self-Portrait of James Ensor by his Easel, 1890
Born	James Sidney Ensor (1860-04-13)13 April 1860 Ostend,Belgium
Died	19 November 1949(1949-11-19)(aged 89) Ostend, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Education	Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts,Brussels(Belgium)
Known for	Painting,graphic arts

Ensor in front of "Entry of Christ into Brussels" in his house inOstend,1940s, photo byAlbert Lilar

James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor(13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949)was aBelgianpainterandprintmaker,an important influence onexpressionismandsurrealismwho lived inOstendfor most of his life. He was associated with the artistic groupLes XX.

Biography

Ensor's father, James Frederic Ensor, born inBrusselstoEnglishparents,was a cultivated man who studied engineering in England and Germany.Ensor's mother, Maria Catherina Haegheman, was Belgian. Ensor himself lacked interest in academic study and left school at the age of fifteen to begin his artistic training with two local painters. From 1877 to 1880, he attended theAcadémie Royale des Beaux-ArtsinBrussels,where one of his fellow students wasFernand Khnopff.Ensor first exhibited his work in 1881. From 1880 until 1917, he had his studio in the attic of his parents' house. His travels were very few: three brief trips to France and two to the Netherlands in the 1880s,and a four-day trip to London in 1892.

During the late 19th century, much of Ensor's work was rejected as scandalous, particularly his paintingChrist's Entry Into Brussels in 1889(1888–89). The Belgian art criticOctave Mausfamously summed up the response from contemporaneous art critics to Ensor's innovative (and often scathingly political) work: "Ensor is the leader of a clan. Ensor is the limelight. Ensor sums up and concentrates certain principles which are considered to be anarchistic. In short, Ensor is a dangerous person who has great changes.... He is consequently marked for blows. It is at him that all theharquebusesare aimed. It is on his head that are dumped the mostaromatic containersof the so-called serious critics. "Some of Ensor's contemporaneous work reveals his defiant response to this criticism. For example, the 1887 etching "Le Pisseur" depicts the artist urinating on a graffitied wall declaring (in the voice of an art critic) "Ensor est un fou" or "Ensor is a Madman."

Ensor's paintings continued to be exhibited and he gradually won acceptance and acclaim. In 1895 his paintingThe Lamp Boy(1880) was acquired by theRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgiumin Brussels, and he had his first solo exhibition in Brussels.By 1920 he was the subject of major exhibitions; in 1929 he was named aBaronbyKing Albert,and was the subject of the Belgian composerFlor Alpaerts'sJames Ensor Suite;and in 1933 he was awarded the band of theLégion d'honneur.Alfred H. Barr Jr.,the founding director of theMuseum of Modern Artin New York, after considering Ensor's 1887 paintingTribulations of Saint Anthony(now in MoMA's collection), declared Ensor the boldest painter working at that time.

Even in the first decade of the 20th century, however, Ensor's production of new works was diminishing, and he increasingly concentrated on music—although he had no musical training, he was a gifted improviser on theharmonium,and spent much time performing for visitors. Against the advice of friends, he remained inOstendduringWorld War IIdespite the risk of bombardment. In his old age, he was an honored figure among Belgians, and his daily walk made him a familiar sight inOstend.He died there following a short illness, on 19 November 1949 at the age of 89.

Art

Christ's Entry Into Brussels in 1889(1888), oil on canvas, 256.8 × 378.4 cm, theGetty Museum

While Ensor's early works, such asRussian Music(1881) andThe Drunkards(1883), depict realistic scenes in a somber style, his palette subsequently brightened and he favored increasingly bizarre subject matter. Such paintings asThe Scandalized Masks(1883) andSkeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man(1891) feature figures in grotesque masks inspired by the ones sold in his mother's gift shop for Ostend's annual Carnival. Subjects such ascarnivals,masks,puppetry,skeletons and fantasticallegoriesare dominant in Ensor's mature work. Ensor dressed skeletons up in his studio and arranged them in colorful, Enigma tic tableaux on the canvas, and used masks as a theatrical aspect in hisstill lifes.Attracted by masks' plastic forms, bright colors and potential for psychological impact, he created a format in which he could paint with complete freedom.

The four years between 1888 and 1892 mark a turning point in Ensor's work. He turned to religious themes, often the torments of Christ.Ensor interpreted religious themes as a personal disgust for the inhumanity of the world.In 1888 alone, he produced forty-five etchings as well as his most ambitious painting, the immenseChrist's Entry Into Brussels in 1889.Also known asEntry of Christ into Brussels,it is considered "a forerunner of twentieth-centuryExpressionism."In this composition, which elaborates a theme treated by Ensor in his drawingLes Aureoles du Christof 1885, a vast carnival mob in grotesque masks advances toward the viewer. Identifiable within the crowd are Belgian politicians, historical figures and members of Ensor's family.Nearly lost amid the teeming throng is Christ on his donkey; although Ensor was an atheist, he identified with Christ as a victim of mockery.The piece, which measures99+1⁄2by169+1⁄2inches, was rejected byLes XXand was not publicly displayed until 1929.After its controversial export in the 1960s, the painting is now at theJ. Paul Getty MuseuminLos Angeles.

As Ensor achieved belated recognition in the final years of the 19th century, his style softened and he painted less in the 20th century. Historians have generally seen Ensor's last forty or fifty years as a long period of decline, although noting a few original "superb and poignant" compositions from his later period.One author identified significant works of Ensor's late period such asThe Artist's Mother in Death(1915), a subdued painting of his mother's deathbed with a still life of prominent medicine bottles in the foreground, andThe Vile Vivisectors(1925), a vehement attack on those responsible for the use of animals in medical experimentation.Another stated "He would still paint pictures magnificently vigorous and bold, but they would be exceptions rather than the rule" noting works such asOur Two Portraits(1905),The Deliverance of Andromeda(1925),Port of Ostend(1933) andEnsor at the Harmonium(1933).The aggressive sarcasm that had characterized his work since the mid-1880s was less evident in his few new compositions, and much of his output consisted of mild repetitions of earlier works.Several still life paintings, void of social, political, or introspective content, stand out among his later works. Ensor turned more and more to music in his later years, playing the harmonium and even composing a ballet-pantomime in one act,The Scale of Love(1907), complete with an original libretto, sets and costumes. He is known to have stated in later years that he had followed the wrong path in life, feeling that he should have devoted himself to music.

Gallery

Main article:List of paintings by James Ensor

Early work (1879–1884)

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  Woman with Turned-up Nose(1879), oil on canvas mounted on wood, 54 × 45 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  The Skate(c. 1880), oil on canvas, 79 × 98.3 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Still Life with Chinoiseries(1880), oil on canvas, 100 × 78 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
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  Afternoon in Ostend(1881), oil on canvas, 108 × 133 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  The Oyster Eater(1882), oil on canvas, 207 × 150 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Meadow Flowers(1883), oil on canvas, 113 × 97.5 cm, Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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  The Rower(1883),Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Scandalized Mask(1883), oil on canvas, 135 × 112 cm, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels
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  The Rooftops of Ostend(1884),Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

Mature work (1885–1899)

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  Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise(1887), oil on canvas, 205 × 245 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Tribulations of Saint Anthony(1887), oil on canvas, 117.8 × 167.6 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York
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  Astonishment of the Mask Wouse(1889), oil on canvas, 131,5 × 109 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Skeletons Warming Themselves(1889), oil on canvas, 74.8 × 60 cm, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
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  Attributes of the Studio(1889), oil on canvas, 83 × 113.5 cm, Alte Pinakothek, Munich
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  The Intrigue(1890), oil on canvas, 90 × 150 cm,Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  The Assassination(1890), oil on canvas, dimensions unknown, Columbus Museum of Art (inspired by the death ofAntoine B. Fualdès)
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  The Good Judges(1891), oil on panel, 38 × 46 cm, private collection
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  The Man of Sorrows(1891),Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Skeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man(1891),Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  Still Life with Ray(1892) oil on canvas, 80 × 100 cm, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels
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  The Dangerous Cooks(1896), oil on panel, 38 × 46 cm, private collection
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  Flowers and Vegetables(1896), oil on canvas, 79 × 98 cm; collection Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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  The Great Judge(1898), oil on canvas, dimensions unknown, private collection
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  Self-Portrait with Masks(1899), oil on canvas, 117 × 82 cm, Menard Art Museum, Komaki

Later work (1900–1949)

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  Still Life with Chinoiseries(c. 1906), oil on canvas, 85 × 105 cm, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
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  My Dead Mother(1915), oil on canvas, 75 × 60 cm,Mu.ZEE,Ostend
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  Fantastic Still Life(c. 1917), oil on canvas, 16 × 21.5 cm, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
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  Still Life with a Cabbage(1921), oil on canvas, dimensions unknown, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands
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  Girl with MasksorEucharist(1921), oil on canvas, 57.2 × 52.5 cm, Städelsches Art Institute and Urban Gallery, Frankfurt
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  Finding of Moses(1924), oil on canvas, 119 × 128 cm, private collection
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  The Vile Vivisectors(1925), oil on canvas, dimensions and collection unknown
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  Ensor at the Harmonium(1933), oil on canvas, dimensions and collection unknown

Printmaking

Ensor was a prolific and accomplished printmaker. He created 133 etchings and drypoints over the course of his career, with 86 of them made between 1886 and 1891 during the height of Ensor's most creative period.Ensor himself recognized that the prints were a key part of his artistic legacy, stating in a letter to Albert Croquez in 1934: "Yes, my intention is to go on working for a long time yet so that generations to come may hear me. My intention is to survive, and I think of the solid copper plate, the unalterable ink, easy reproduction, faithful prints, and I adopt etching as a means of expression."

In 1889, Ensor created two highly political etchings. The first, titledDoctrinal Nourishment[orAlimentation Doctrinaire], depicts key figures in Belgium—a bishop, the king, etc.—defecating on the masses of Belgium. The second, titledBelgium in the XIXth CenturyorKing Dindon,depictsKing Leopold IIwatching as military figures violently quell a protest. These prints are very rare today because Ensor attempted to remove them from circulation after being named Baron and many others were lost during the war.

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  The Cathedral(1886) etching, 25 × 19 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Ernest Rousseau(1887) drypoint, 24 × 18.1 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Boulevard Anspach(1888) drypoint, 13.9 × 9.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Country Fair Near a Windmill(1889) etching, 13.8 × 17.8 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  My Portrait in the Year 1960(1888) etching, 6.9 × 12 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Peculiar Insects(1888) drypoint, 11.9 × 15.9 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Alimentation Doctrinaire(1889) etching, 17.8 × 24.8 cm, Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp
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  King Pest(1895) etching, 10 × 12 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Demons Taunting Me(1895) etching, 11.8 × 15.8 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Christ Tormented by Demons(1895) etching and drypoint, 17.9 × 24.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  The Devils Dzitts and Hihanox Lead Christ into Hell(1895) 13.9 × 17.8 cm, etching and drypoint, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
• 
  Death Pursuing Humanity(1896) etching, 24.1 × 18.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
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  Plague Below, Plague Above, Plague Everywhere(1904) etching, 19.7 × 29.8 cm, Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp

The Seven Deadly Sins

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  Death Dominating the Deadly Sins(1904) etching, 9 × 14 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Anger(1904) etching, 9.8 × 15 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Avarice(1904) etching, 9.8 × 15 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Envy(1904) etching, 9.8 × 15 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Gluttony(1904) etching, 9.8 × 15 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Lust(1888) etching, 9.8 × 13.7 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Pride(1904) etching, 9.8 × 15 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels
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  Sloth(1902) etching, 10 × 14 cm, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels

Honour

• 1919: Commander of theOrder of Leopold

Influence and legacy

Death maskof James Ensor

The annualBal du Rat mort(Dead Rat Ball) is held in Ostend.

Ensor is considered to be an innovator in 19th-century art. Although he stood apart from other artists of his time, he significantly influenced such 20th-century artists asPaul Klee,Emil Nolde,George Grosz,Alfred Kubin,Wols,Felix Nussbaumand other expressionist andsurrealistpainters of the 20th century. AsLos Angeles County Museum of ArtCEO and Wallis Annenberg directorMichael Govanhas explained: "James Ensor's signature style—his radical distortion of form, his ambiguous space, his riotous color, his muddled surfaces, and his proclivity for the bizarre—both anticipated and influenced modernist movements fromsymbolismandGerman expressionismtodadaandsurrealism."

Ensor's works are in many public collections, notably theModern ArtMuseum of theRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgiumin Brussels, theRoyal Museum of Fine ArtsinAntwerp,andMu.ZEEinOstend.Major works by Ensor are also in theMuseum of Modern ArtinNew York,theMusée d'Orsay,Paris, theJ. Paul Getty Museumin Los Angeles, and theWallraf-Richartz MuseuminCologne.A collection of his letters is held in the Contemporary Art Archives of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels.The Ensor collections of the Flemish fine art museums can all be seen at the James Ensor Online Museum.

Ensor has been paid homage by contemporary paintersand artists in other media. The Belgian artistPierre Alechinsky(b. 1927) and noted member ofCOBRA,paintedThe Tomb of Ensor(1961) in homage to Ensor, which is now in the collection of theMuseum of Fine Arts, Houston.He is the subject of a song, "Meet James Ensor",recorded in 1994 by thealternative rockduoThey Might Be Giants.The 1996 Belgian movieCamping Cosmoswas inspired by drawings of James Ensor, in particularCarnaval sur la plage(1887),La mort poursuivant le troupeau des humains(1896) andLe bal fantastique(1889). The film's director,Jan Bucquoy,is also the creator of acomicLe Bal du Rat mortinspired by Ensor.

An exhibition of approximately 120 works by James Ensor was shown at theMuseum of Modern Artin New York City in 2009, and then at theMusée d'Orsay,Paris, October 2009 to February 2010. TheGettymounted a similar exhibition June to September 2014.The Art Institute of Chicago exhibited Ensor's 1887 masterpiece The Temptation of St. Anthony from November 2014 through January 2015, along with other important paintings and etchings.From October 2016 through January 2017, theRoyal Academy of Artsin London hosted a major exhibition of Ensor's paintings and etchings, curated by the Belgian artistLuc Tuymans.The black artistKara Walkerpainted a controversial work, "Christ's Entry into Journalism", inspired by Ensor in 2017.

The yearly philanthropic "Bal du Rat mort"(Dead Rat Ball) in Ostend continues a tradition begun by Ensor and his friends in 1898.

In the movieHalloween(1978), a poster of one of Ensor's self-portraits appears on the wall of a room in Laurie Strode's (Jamie Lee Curtis) home.

The 2024 game "Please, Touch The Artwork 2" is ahidden object gamewhere almost all of the artwork and even some of the game's music are works by Ensor.

References

Citations

Works cited

• Arnason, H. Harvard; Kalb, Peter (2004).History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography(5th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.ISBN978-0-13-184069-0.
• Becks-Malorny, Ulrike (2000).James Ensor.Cologne: Taschen.ISBN3-8228-5858-7.
• Ensor, James; Pfeiffer, Ingrid; Hollein, Max;Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt(2005).James Ensor.Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz.ISBN978-3-7757-1702-1.
• Farmer, John David (1976).Ensor.New York: George Braziller.OCLC462494050.
• Swinbourne, Anne (2009).James Ensor.New York: The Museum of Modern Art.ISBN978-0-87070-752-0.
• Taevernier, Auguste (1999).James Ensor.Belgium: Pandora/Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon.ISBN90-5325-135-9.
• van Gindertael, Roger (1975).Ensor.Boston: New York Graphic Society Ltd.ISBN978-0-8212-0649-2.
• Janssens, Jacques (1978).James Ensor.New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.ISBN0-517-53284-0.

Further reading

• Berko, Patrick & Viviane (1981). "Dictionary of Belgian painters born between 1750 & 1875", Knokke 1981, p. 272–274.
• Janssens, Jacques (1978).James Ensor.New York: Crown Publishers Inc.
• Tricot, Xavier (1994).Ensoriana.Antwerp: Pandora.
• Tricot, Xavier (2009).James Ensor, Life and work. Catalogue raisonné of his paintings.Ostfildern: HatjeCantz.
• Tricot, Xavier (2010).James Ensor. The complete prints.Roeselare: Deceuninck.

External links

Media related toPaintings by James Ensorat Wikimedia Commons

• Works by or about James Ensorat theInternet Archive
• James Ensor Online Museum
• James Ensor Archief – Publications by or with the cooperation of Patrick Florizoone
• The Royal Museums' Modern Art Collection: 19th-century symbolism, with Ensor'sSkeletons fighting for a smoked herring
• Exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp: "Ensor and the Moderns"
• The Getty Museum: James Ensor
• James Ensor: The Temptation of Saint Anthonydigital exhibition catalogue
• Flemish Art Collection: James Ensor, Graphic ArtistArchived27 March 2009 at theWayback Machine
• "Goya, Redon, Ensor Grotesque paintings and drawings" 2009 Special Exhibition at KMSKA
• 2009 Ensor show at Museum of Modern Art, NYC
• Sanford Schwartz, "Mysteries of Ensor,"New York Review of Books,24 September 2009.