James Ensor

Happy Birthday James Ensor!! Born in Belgium in 1860, Ensor was a painter who trained with 2 artists beginning at age 15. He was greatly influenced by carnivals, skeletons and masks, and his paintings revolve around allegorical statements through these themes. His work during the period from 1888 to the early 1900's was the most prolific as well as the most aggressive in terms of his use of sarcasm and satire. The most prominent work from this period is Entry of Christ into Brussels, which was created from numerous sketches and etchings. Ensor was an atheist who identified with Christ as the downtrodden and painted him as such, almost unnoticeable amongst the throng of surrounding people.  (Christ is in the center, note the halo, sitting on a donkey) An ugly mob assails the viewer in the parade scene.