The Belgium artist, James Ensor, was born in 1860 and spent most of his life in his hometown Ostend where he died in 1949. Ensor is considered by the MoMA to be “a socially engaged and self-critical artist involved with the issues of his times.”
“Masks Confronting Death” is an oil on canvas painting displaying a colorful group of mask wearing folks gathering around and peering at the skeletal Death. The top portion of the painting are shades of white which bolsters the central figure of Death who is also adorned in white. The colorful carnival-like atmosphere appears ironic as it surrounds Death.
The painting while bizarre looking cannot be truly classified as Surrealism, but it somewhat draws upon that. It’s more of Expressionism where it presents irony in the fictionalized Death who is being physically confronted. One would think Death is omnipotent or even scary, but Ensor’s painting suggests otherwise As stated in the MoMA’s description of the painting, this may be a “reflection of the artist’s preoccupation with his own mortality.”
A medium-sized painting in the middle on a modest part of a white wall, “Masks Confronting Death” blends in well to the room with its own use of white. I noticed a few people briefly acknowledging it and taking it in. While bizarre looking, it did not make me tag it as Surrealist.
What drew me to this painting was how unusual the painting’s scene appeared and yet how it almost blended into the wall. The masked people all watching a skeletal figure was sort of mesmerizing and upon reading the piece’s description, it became almost silly. It was silly in the context of how ironic the situation was. I imagined to myself being in Death’s shoes surrounded by people looking like partygoers. This use of irony led me to ultimately favor “Masks Confronting Death” over the other works at MoMA.
I have a few of questions pertaining to this painting. One of which has to do with the small white mask or face at the far left which is concealed into the white background. Another is: how does Death feel in this situation.
Sources:
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/312
Maxwell, The assignment asked you to post a picture of the work to go with your post. It’s hard to make sense of your analysis without the image to accompany it. I agree with you that Ensor’s painting is pretty intriguing. What do you mean by “it presents irony in the fictionalized death who is being confronted.” This needs to be explained. Additionally, if you are using language taken from one of your secondary sources, you need to place it quotations. Otherwise, you are presenting someone else’s words and ideas as though they were your own. This is plagiarism and is a serious academic offense. You would be wiser to rely on your own ideas about what’s going on in the painting. What do you make of the figures in masks? How does Ensor represent death here?
JS