© Adagp, Paris
"I am ennobled by light."
A transitional figure between Symbolism and Expressionism, James Ensor paints landscapes, still lifes and portraits, as well as genre scenes in which his sister, mother, or aunt feature. He pits the line, which he considers to be "the enemy of genius", against light, giving the latter a unifying and spiritual power. He adds a mystical quality to the the modern inspiration behind his first subjects. His landscapes this distance themselves from reality to embody primitive chaos where a divine breath reigns supreme. As for his portraits and self-portraits, they are the reflection of his entire œuvre, difficult to read and somewhat incoherent at first sight.