James Ensor - A True Story

by Gerhard Theewen, at least he told us this one.

Once he was in the town of Ostende and there he noticed somebody handling an art print with no care at all. Looking closer he noticed that it was an original by James Ensor. When he asked this person about it, he got the following retort: "Oh that lunatic !"

And all the time a portrait of that lunatic was on the Belgian banknotes....

James Ensor and Acquaintance

Once I was skipping through a catalogue of Ensor's paintings when I noticed the following photo because there is Ensor in the picture, yet there is also somebody else whom I did not connect with Ensor at all, though I suppose they should have been so familiar, it feels definitely right ;)!

Nightwatching - Visual References (at least one that I have noticed)

I should have noticed earlier but Martin Freeman wearing those various hats as Rembrandt should have reminded me of a painter I admire a lot - in fact if I were to write my own little art history he would feature in one line from Turner to Newman, the marvellous and hilarious James Ensor.

BTW the first thing that won me for Ensor before realising his mastery in painting and colour, was his wry sense of humour, that truly befits an artist. And especially the way he takes it out on himself personally.

Encounter his Self-portrait in 1960.

James Ensor, Self-Portrait in 1960