- 10
James Ensor
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 EUR
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Description
- James Ensor
- L'entrée du Christ à Bruxelles
Etching, 1896, on simili Japon, third, final state, signed, titled and dated in pencil below the composition, with margins, generally in very good condition. Unexamined out of frame.
- etching (copper), third state
- 248 by 355 mm.
Provenance
Collection E.J. Duintjer, Veendam
Thence by descent
Literature
Exhibition catalogue, Brussels, Schone kunsten, Ensor, 24 Sept. - 13 Febr. 2000, pp. 320-321, no. 347-349 of comperable third states
Condition
Colours:
The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate
Condition:
Very minor discolourisation within the measurements of the passe-partout, otherwise in excellent condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
An eccentric visionary, James Ensor created images that defy categorization. After two frustrating years at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, he returned to his hometown of Ostend and set up a studio in the attic of his family's home and souvenir shop. There he continued his education, studying Old Masters such as Breughel and Bosch, copying etchings by Rembrandt and Goya, and making sketches depicting his family's disquieting domestic life. Altough Ensor was a member of the Belgian avant-garde group Les Vingt (The Twenty) between 1883 and 1893, he had a pained and tumultuous relationship with his fellow artists and critics.
In addition to painting, Ensor made some one hundred forty prints over the course of his career, most of which were etchings completed in an intense burst of activity at the turn of the century. His obsession with death, and his desire to defy it through his art, contributed to his embrace of etching. He wrote "I want to survive and I think of solid copperplates, of unalterable inks (...) of faithful printing, and I am adopting etching as a means of expression."
Current political events, literary themes, the life of Christ, and the popular spectacle of the annual carnivals in Belgium were among Ensor's favourite subjects. Deeply concerned with political and social injustice, he ridiculed the church, the military, and the bourgeoisie.
L'entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (the present work) updates the story of Christ. Ensor's society is a mob, threatening to trample the viewer (a crude, ugly, chaotic, dehumanized sea of masks, frauds, clowns, and caricatures. Public, historical and allegorical figures along with the artist's family and friends make up the crowd. The haloed Christ at the center of the turbulence is in part a self-portrait: mostly ignored, a precarious, isolated visionary amidst the herdlike masses of modern society. Ensor's Christ functioned as a political spokesman for the poor and oppressed a humble leader of the true religion, in opposition to the atheist social reformer Emile Littré, shown in bishop's garb holding a drum major's baton leading on the eager, mindless crowd.
(Op cit.: D. Wye, Artists and Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of Modern Art, New York 2004, p. 49)
In addition to painting, Ensor made some one hundred forty prints over the course of his career, most of which were etchings completed in an intense burst of activity at the turn of the century. His obsession with death, and his desire to defy it through his art, contributed to his embrace of etching. He wrote "I want to survive and I think of solid copperplates, of unalterable inks (...) of faithful printing, and I am adopting etching as a means of expression."
Current political events, literary themes, the life of Christ, and the popular spectacle of the annual carnivals in Belgium were among Ensor's favourite subjects. Deeply concerned with political and social injustice, he ridiculed the church, the military, and the bourgeoisie.
L'entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (the present work) updates the story of Christ. Ensor's society is a mob, threatening to trample the viewer (a crude, ugly, chaotic, dehumanized sea of masks, frauds, clowns, and caricatures. Public, historical and allegorical figures along with the artist's family and friends make up the crowd. The haloed Christ at the center of the turbulence is in part a self-portrait: mostly ignored, a precarious, isolated visionary amidst the herdlike masses of modern society. Ensor's Christ functioned as a political spokesman for the poor and oppressed a humble leader of the true religion, in opposition to the atheist social reformer Emile Littré, shown in bishop's garb holding a drum major's baton leading on the eager, mindless crowd.
(Op cit.: D. Wye, Artists and Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of Modern Art, New York 2004, p. 49)