1889
ink
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
Untitled is a 1889 ink by James Ensor, a Impressionism work, held at Museum of Modern Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic crowd of masked figures in a dim, cluttered space. Some people are sitting, others stand or crouch, all with exaggerated, shadowy faces. A few figures in the back seem to be arguing or watching, while one person in the front holds a strange, spiked object. The rough, scratchy lines suggest the artist was experimenting with how marks make emotion feel. The masks might hide more than just faces—they could be a way to show how people hide their true selves. Check out etching to see how artists like this use ink and metal plates to create deep, textured lines.
James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life.
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