James Ensor, oil on panel, 1930
The Ostend artist James Ensor is regarded as one of the founders of modernism – on a universal scale. As an artistic rebel, he criticised all forms of oppression, which is why his work is characterised above all by satire. In his later work, we see more stylistic features within his consistently virtuoso technique, giving his oeuvre a unique character. Following on from Fauvism, James Ensor has also renewed his use of colour in recent decades.
‘La Danse – Reine des Ballets’ shows Ensor’s love for music, the painting offers us a vibrating tonality as a true cadence for the ballet. In 1911 he composed the ballet ‘La Gamme d’amour’, and also designed the costumes and sets, until a bound album was published in 1929. The painting tells the story of his theatrical and carnivalesque ballet in which the dancers playfully lift their skirts with a baton.
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