Grand carnival Ostendais 1934

Felix Labisse made this painting, Grand carnival Ostendais, with what looks like oil paint and a light, slightly absurd touch. The color palette is constrained to mostly subdued, muted tones, which gives the parade a ghostly, dreamlike quality. I love the material properties of the paint here – it's not too thick, not too thin, but just right. The shapes seem softly rendered. The faces, with their blank expressions, almost feel like masks, hinting at hidden identities and societal roles we adopt. Notice the figure in the bottom right corner. The flatness of the painting creates a strangely tactile effect. It reminds me a little of James Ensor, who was also interested in the theater of modern life and how it's like a circus. Art is always a conversation, an echo of past ideas reworked. Labisse, like many artists, invites us to embrace the chaos and multiple interpretations that give art its enduring appeal.