Het grote dok in Oostende 1888

James Ensor made this etching, ‘The Big Dock in Ostend,’ depicting a harbor scene in Belgium. Consider the date; Ensor was active at the turn of the 20th century, when the economic structures of Europe were rapidly changing. Coastal towns like Ostend were centers for international trade, and this image highlights the docks with ships from many nations. What social classes would have been most visible in this setting? The image is composed of lines. It has very little shading, giving it a hazy quality that mirrors the Belgian climate. Knowing the era in which this work was made can we say that it is conservative or progressive? Ensor was progressive, and a founding member of Les XX, a group of artists looking to break from academic expectations. To understand it better, we might research the shipping industries in Belgium and investigate other harbor scenes made at this time. Art’s meaning always depends on its social and institutional context.