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| 30x40 oil on canvas |
W hile working on my most recent painting, I was referred to another painter of skeletons from the late nineteenth century, James Ensor. Ensor (April 13, 1860 – November 19, 1949) was a Flemish-Belgian painter and printmaker, and produced a wide array of fantastic, funny and rather strange paintings throughout his lifetime. I was instantly inspired by his paintings, and can particularly relate to his bizarre sense of humour and punchy use of colour. Here are a few examples of his work:
The last painting I have included, above, is the the immense "The Entry of Christ into Brussels", probably Ensor's most famous work. In this composition, which elaborates a theme treated by Ensor in his drawing "Les Aureoles du Christ" of 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 measures 99½ by 169½ inches, was rejected by Les XX and was not publicly displayed until 1929.After its controversial export in the 1960s, the painting is now at the J. Paul Getty Museum and is on display at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California. Also known as Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889, it is considered "a forerunner of twentieth-century Expressionism."
Hmm... skeletons.
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