Mardi Gras 1946

This is Alfred Bendiner's 'Mardi Gras', made with ink, perhaps, or some kind of etching technique. Look at all those tiny marks, so precise. Imagine the artist, leaning in close, hand steady, teasing out this whole world from nothing. Bendiner has really captured the spirit of the celebration. The figures leap and dance with a freedom that is both wild and carefully choreographed. You can almost hear the music, a cacophony of drums and whistles, as they parade through the village. The devilish looking costumers are amazing. Is that the influence of Ensor I see? Who knows! It feels raw and unfiltered, like a direct line to something primal and untamed. Painting has always been a way for artists to tap into these deeper currents of human experience, to explore the boundaries between the conscious and the unconscious. It's a reminder that we're all part of something bigger, a continuous thread of creativity that stretches back through time and connects us to each other.