
We begin our series of famous painters that marked the way we see and experience painting today, with the works of James Sidney Edouard Ensor (1860-1949), one of my favourites expressionists. James Ensor was a Flemish-Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism, who lived in Ostend for almost his entire life. He began his artistic career as a portrait painter but soon became involved with the avant-garde group Les XX (the Twenty), whose goal was to promote new artistic developments throughout Europe.
James Ensor is considered to be an innovator in 19th century art. Although he stood apart from other artists of his time, he significantly influenced such 20th century artists as Paul Klee, Emil Nolde, George Grosz, Alfred Kubin, Wols, Felix Nussbaum, and other expressionist and surrealist painters of the 20th century.
James Ensor was a socially engaged and self-critical artist involved with the social and moral issues of his times and with contemporary debates on the very nature of modernism.
We have gathered 179 pictures of Ensor’s works. Enjoy!
The rest of the paintings can be found in the gallery!