Date : 1889
Material : Oil on canvas
| Item 4 on 10
European Painting
Painting
Area related
Bruxelles (Belgium)
© ADAGP
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| Description |  |
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A young Ensor cast himself as Jesus Christ entering the chaotic streets of contemporary Brussels, perhaps inspired by the poet Charles Baudelaire's claim that the artist "stems only from himself...He has been his own king, his own priest, his own God". The frenetic scene seems to be a critique of capitalism, the Belgian state, and the Catholic Church. With bold colors, aggressive brushstrokes, and grotesque distortions of form and space, Ensor satirized the baseness and hypocrisy of modern society. The result is a radically original and complex work.
Considered too controversial for public exhibition, the painting remained in Ensor's home in Ostend until 1929 and was exhibited only twice during his lifetime. Ensor, who recognized the importance of his contribution to modern art, welcomed young artists who made the pilgrimage to his small town on the west coast of Belgium to see this avant-garde masterpiece.
Here Ensor imagined how the citizens of Brussels would respond to the Second Coming of Christ. The vast crowd, with Jesus on a donkey in its midst, teems with carnival masks, allegorical figures, and historical characters. The meaning of the assemblage remains enigmatic, but Ensor was clearly attacking aspects of contemporary religious, political, and cultural life. Too raw and shocking to be exhibited when completed, the painting has exerted an enormous influence on modern art.
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