James Sidney Ensor (1860 - 1949) Belgium. Pastel on Paper. Dated 1891. Measure 4 3/4"in H x 6 1/2"in W and 9 1/4"in H x 11 1/4"in W with frame. Known for: Figure, genre, interior and portrait painting. James Sidney Ensor, Baron Ensor (April 13, 1860-November 19, 1949), was a Belgian painter whose portrayals of grotesque humanity made him a principal precursor of 20th-century Expressionism and Surrealism. Ensor was born in Ostend, Belgium, in 1860, and, except for three years spent at the Brussels Academy, from 1877 to 1880, he lived in Ostend all his life. His early works were of traditional subjects: landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and interiors painted in deep, rich colors and enriched by a subdued but vibrant light. An example of this type of painting is his immense canvas Christ's Entry Into Brussels (1888, J. Paul Getty Center, Los Angeles, California). Ensor deliberately used harsh, garish colors and violent, broken brushstrokes to heighten the violent effect of his subjects. He died in 1949 in Ostend, where there is now a museum devoted to his work. In 1994 a new audience was introduced to James Ensor when the group, "They Might Be Giants", released the song Meet James Ensor, which aptly describes him as "Belgium's famous painter."

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