The Cathedral
1886
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1886
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a huge, crumbling cathedral packed with a mob of strange, mask-like faces. Ensor drew this with tiny, scratchy lines—almost like a nervous doodle. Most artists at the time painted smooth, pretty scenes. Here, the building feels solid, but the crowd looks wild and shaky. It’s like the people are temporary, but the stone lasts forever. Look up more of James Ensor (Belgian, 1860–1949) to see how he turned crowds into chaos.
