The Miraculous Draught of Fishes 1921

James Ensor’s “The Miraculous Draught of Fishes” presents a scene rendered in delicate yet agitated colored pencil strokes. Dominated by hues of orange and blue, the composition depicts a biblical narrative infused with Ensor’s characteristic flair for the grotesque and the surreal. The piece is structured around a visual dichotomy: above, a serene depiction of Christ and his disciples in boats; below, a chaotic tangle of figures amidst an abundant catch of fish. Ensor employs a network of hatching and cross-hatching to create a sense of depth and movement, particularly in the turbulent waters teeming with marine life and human forms. The rough texture of the colored pencil lends a raw, unfiltered quality to the image. Ensor’s choice of color and line destabilizes traditional representations of religious scenes. The effect is jarring, disrupting the conventional harmony. The formal tensions within "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes" challenge viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, the beautiful and the grotesque, inviting a re-evaluation of established artistic and philosophical norms.