The Oldies or Time 

Editor: This is James Ensor's pencil drawing, "The Oldies or Time." It looks like an early study, and there's something quite unsettling about the figures' expressions. What symbolic reading can you offer of this work? Curator: Notice how Ensor uses sharp, almost frantic lines. The figures seem trapped, their smiles more like grimaces. Expressionism sought to convey inner emotions, and here, the figures perhaps embody a sense of societal decay or the burden of time, as the title implies. The person holding what appears to be a sign… what do you think that signifies? Editor: It's hard to make out exactly. "Que Tal?" maybe? Some kind of message being presented? Or withheld? Curator: Precisely! Symbols are rarely straightforward. It could suggest questions about appearance, a reflection on aging, or a commentary on superficiality. Perhaps Ensor is reflecting on how "time" distorts or transforms our self-image and interactions? It prompts us to question the masks we wear. The rapid pencil strokes definitely amplify the themes of anxiety and fragmentation often explored in Expressionist art. Editor: I hadn’t considered it as masks, but that adds a whole new dimension! So it’s not necessarily about *literally* aging, but about how time affects identity? Curator: Exactly. And isn't it interesting how a seemingly simple drawing can hold so much cultural weight? Images really do carry histories, anxieties, and aspirations within them. Editor: I'll definitely look at Expressionist portraits differently now, knowing that those surface appearances often mask much more.