At the Conservatory 1902

James Ensor made this painting, At the Conservatory, with oils, and I just love the scratchy, agitated surface. It feels like the painting itself is buzzing with nervous energy, like it’s about to tell you a secret, or maybe burst out laughing. Ensor doesn’t smooth things over; he leaves the marks raw, almost like a drawing. The muted colors give the work a slightly melancholic feel, but then these strange little figures start to pop out, and it’s clear Ensor is having fun. Take the central figure with the newspaper: the text is all jumbled, but “trop d’eau” stands out, as though he’s saying the music is too watery, too sentimental! I see him as a kindred spirit, someone who wasn’t afraid to make art that was a little weird, a little messy, and totally his own. You can feel a connection to artists like Grosz and Dix who embrace the grotesque and sardonic in their work, making art that feels both deeply personal and universally relevant. It shows how art is this ongoing conversation, with artists riffing off each other across time.