Duivels die mij sarren 1895

Curator: This is James Ensor's "Devils Teasing Me," created in 1895, using ink in a drawing style with elements of symbolism. Quite a provocative little tableau. Editor: Provocative is an understatement! It feels like a bad dream you can't quite shake off. I'm instantly drawn to the chaotic energy – that sea of grotesque faces encircling him. Does Ensor ever get a break? Curator: It’s intriguing, isn't it? Ensor, who often depicted himself surrounded by masks and strange figures, seems to be grappling with his critics here, transforming them into these tormenting "devils." Consider the materials – the unforgiving lines of ink, a deliberate choice perhaps reflecting the stinging nature of criticism. Editor: That makes total sense. The frantic, scratchy quality really amplifies the feeling of anxiety, like he's trapped in a room full of hecklers. Look how those demons press in – they’re practically climbing all over him, distorting his perception! Are they even human, or is it a purely mental projection? Curator: The line is deliberately blurred. Ensor's world frequently collapsed boundaries between the real, the imagined, and the theatrical. Also, notice the year of execution, 1895 – a period marked by fierce debates around art, tradition, and modernity. Ensor occupied a challenging position in those debates. His means of production for such a small piece also reflects his views, and he favored democratized techniques like etching over the more expensive, academic oil paintings of his peers. Editor: Interesting. It speaks to an alienation he seems to relish. Almost like, "Go on, mock me – I'll turn you into nightmarish grotesques in my art." You can almost feel his subversive chuckle. But does it reflect real, tangible oppression? I see it more like artistic self-dramatization, but I still love the little picture. It has all this raw energy! Curator: It's undeniably dramatic, though the roots are much deeper. Consider the means of production within a rapidly changing art world. Perhaps what reads as self-dramatization to you, reads more like the authentic experience of an artist struggling to survive while holding onto radical methods for communicating social angst, or perhaps class critique. Editor: Perhaps. Maybe that angst is why I respond to the image so vividly. Now, however, I just wonder what kind of conversation Ensor would be having with today’s "devils" on social media! Curator: That’s quite the thought. He may have been a very early user... and a vocal commenter too.