James Ensor Prints and Multiples
James Ensor is a Belgian painter and printmaker and an important influence on Expressionism and Surrealism. Ensor's early works, such as Russian Music (1881) and The Drunkards (1883), depict realistic scenes in a somber style, after which his palette subsequently brightened and he favored increasingly bizarre subject matter. Such paintings as The Scandalized Masks (1883) and Skeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man (1891) feature figures in grotesque masks inspired by the ones sold in his mother's gift shop for Ostend's annual Carnival. Subjects such as carnivals, masks, puppetry, skeletons and fantastic allegories are dominant in Ensor's mature work. Ensor dressed skeletons up in his studio and arranged them in colorful, enigmatic tableaux on the canvas and used masks as a theatrical aspect in his still lifes. Attracted by masks' plastic forms, bright colors and potential for psychological impact, he created a format in which he could paint with complete freedom. Ensor was a prolific and accomplished printmaker. He created 133 etchings and drypoints throughout his career, with 86 of them made between 1886 and 1891 during the height of Ensor's most creative period. Ensor himself recognized that the prints were a key part of his artistic legacy, stating in a letter to Albert Croquez in 1934, "Yes, I intend to go on working for a long time yet so that generations to come may hear me. I intend to survive, and I think of the solid copper plate, the unalterable ink, easy reproduction, faithful prints and I adopt etching as a means of expression.”
Late 19th Century Realist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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Early 1900s James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Surrealist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1890s Surrealist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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Early 1900s Surrealist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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Late 19th Century James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Handmade Paper
1880s Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Symbolist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Drypoint, Etching
1890s Post-Impressionist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1950s James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Paper, Ink, Etching
Mid-20th Century American Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Drypoint, Etching
Mid-20th Century American Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Color, Etching, Ink
2010s Contemporary James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Paper, Etching, Drypoint
Mid-20th Century American Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Drypoint, Etching
Mid-19th Century Realist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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17th Century Naturalistic James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Laid Paper, Etching, Ink
1750s Old Masters James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1930s American Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Etching, Drypoint
Mid-19th Century Romantic James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Engraving, Etching
20th Century James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1970s Surrealist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
Engraving, Etching
Early 1900s Surrealist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1890s Modern James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Symbolist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1890s Impressionist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Post-Impressionist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Post-Impressionist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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1880s Impressionist James Ensor Prints and Multiples
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Artists Similar to James Ensor
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To show depth in his work, James Ensor would use linear perspective to set the scene for the observer. See the magic for yourself by shopping a selection of James Ensor’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.