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Painting and Sculpture

30 of 2152

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James Ensor. Masks Confronting Death. 1888

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Masks Confronting Death

James Ensor (Belgian, 1860-1949)

505.1951

Gallery Label Text

James Ensor

June 28–September 21, 2009

A group of masked figures confronts the figure of Death, centrally situated and draped in whitea color that infiltrates the entire picture. Composed of masks adorned with drapery, hats, and even blue glasses, the arrangement of figures recalls Ensor's earlier still-life compositions. The ubiquitous masks in Ensor's work were likely based on those sold in his family's curiosity shop a few floors below his studio. He explained, "The mask means to me: freshness of color, sumptuous decoration, wild unexpected gestures, very shrill expressions, exquisite turbulence." In this painting, the fantastical masked inventions appear to come alive and challenge Death—perhaps a reflection of the artists preoccupation with mortality and his hope that he might prevail against its inevitable dominion.

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