James Ensor
Le Christ tourmenté (Christ Tormented)
1888
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One of the most radical artists of the late nineteenth century, James Ensor paired highly individualistic iconography with a painterly technique emphasizing the expressive qualities of light and color. The idiosyncratic elements he introduced into his paintings include grotesque and caricatured faces inspired by Belgian Carnival celebrations and Chinese theater masks sold at his family’s curio shop. Beginning in the 1880s and 1890s Ensor created many highly subjective treatments of religious themes that were not common subject matter in the arts at the turn of the century. In Christ Tormented Jesus Christ hangs crucified amidst an atmospheric landscape of color. As in some conventional depictions, Christ is tormented by a Roman soldier who pierces his side with a lance. Ensor has embellished this traditional tableau with a small demon atop the cross, figures wearing masks, and flying spirits or angels. Ensor’s depiction focuses on Christ at his most human, including in the moment of affliction at the hands of such fanciful creatures. Ensor’s innovative works sometimes received harsh criticism from critics. Although not well known in Belgium until the 1920s, he was acclaimed by German Expressionist artists in the 1910s for his independent style and intensely personal imagery. [Permanent collection label, 2016]
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Artist
James Ensor
(Belgian, 1860–1949)
- Title Le Christ tourmenté (Christ Tormented)
- Date 1888
- Medium Oil on linen
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Dimensions
unframed | 21 7/8 x 27 5/8 in.
- Credit line Bequest of Morton J. May, 1968
- Object number WU 4391
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Technique
oil painting
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Work type
painting
In Your Wildest Dreams. Ensor Beyond Impressionism
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 09/28/2024 - 01/19/2025
Ugly: An Alternative Look at Western Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 06/05/2013 - 07/29/2013
Mythologized, Idealized, Modernized: The Human Figure in Western Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 05/13/2011 - 07/18/2011
Edvard Munch and European Modernism
Art Institute of Chicago, 02/14/2009 - 04/30/2009
Teaching Gallery exhibition
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 01/23/2004 - 03/28/2004
James Ensor 1860–1949: Theatre of Masks
Barbican Art Gallery (London, England), 09/11/1997 - 12/14/1997
A Gallery of Modern Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 08/09/1994 - 10/16/1994
Cubists, Surrealists, and Expressionists
The Centennial Exhibition
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 05/15/1981 - 10/11/1981
Paintings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Morton D. May
Saint Louis University (St. Louis, Missouri), 02/14/1960 - 07/04/1960
Homage à James Ensor
Galerie Georges Giroux (Brussels, Belgium), 10/13/1945 - 11/04/1945
Les XX
Musées royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique (Brussels, Belgium)
Antwerp
Kunst van Heden (Antwerp, Belgium)
Art Belge
Venue Unknown (Madrid, Spain)
1968
Morton J. May, St. Louis
Inscription Recto, lower right, in red paint:
This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.
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