Silhouettes 1880

James Ensor created this work, called "Silhouettes," using watercolor and pencil. The effect is of a fragmented urban scene, a montage of figures in various poses. Ensor was a Belgian artist working in a period of rapid social and technological change. The rise of the industrial city created new social types and new forms of spectacle. The faceless figures evoke the anonymity of the modern city, where one is surrounded by strangers. The silhouettes also reflect the influence of photography, which captured fleeting moments and flattened figures into simplified shapes. The effect of a busy modern city is compounded by the repetition of figures and the superimposition of images. As art historians, we can use a variety of sources to understand the social conditions that shaped this work. We could look at newspapers, photographs, and sociological studies of the period to understand the experience of modern urban life. By understanding the social and institutional context of the work, we can better understand its meaning and significance.