Blue Bottles And Chicken c. 1925

James Ensor made this still life painting, "Blue Bottles and Chicken," and it's not about perfect representation. It’s more like he’s thinking through paint. The whole surface shimmers, a result of these loose brushstrokes, a combination of thin washes and thick impasto. There's a push and pull between opacity and transparency. Look closely at the chicken and its feathers rendered in broad strokes, a kind of shorthand for texture. The blue bottle in the background has an almost sculptural quality. Ensor’s painting reminds me of Chaim Soutine. There’s a similar raw intensity, a willingness to let the paint itself become the subject. Ensor isn’t trying to trick us into thinking this is real; he's inviting us to consider seeing itself. He leaves room for doubt, for interpretation. He embraces the messiness of the process, reminding us that art isn’t about answers, but about questions.