The most powerful and disturbing of all of James Ensor’s paintings is also one of the simplest. In “Scandalized Masks” we see part of an unknown and uncomfortable story. Its muted colors and neutral tones allow us to watch this scene as if it were reality. The setting differs from the other Ensors with their garish hues and vibrant poses. This painting is more like something from a dream you are likely to have. It wouldn’t be so much of a nightmare, were it not for those horrifying masks!
The signature Ensor masks come from working in his mother’s gift shop, which sold costumes and masquerade items for the annual carnival. Early in his career, James Ensor’s paintings were relatively tame, and much adored by the public. At a certain point, with “Scandalized Masks” perhaps marking the transition, his canvases began to lean toward the macabre. Eventually, his paintings were filled with grotesque characters in masks, with living skeletons in a twisted dance of death, and other allegories and parodies of humanity and society.
“Scandalized Masks” is different from the in-your-face political satire such as Christ’s Entry Into Brussels. This setting is plain and mysterious. The man sits at the table, drinking straight from the bottle nearby. The odd thing here is that he wears his mask while he sits, even with no company, even while he drinks. A minute later and– watch out! The woman swings open the door with club in hand, and enters the atmosphere in one terrifying step. She, too, is wearing a mask, and is dressed in costume, returning from destinations unknown.
I imagine this eerie couple wears the masks constantly, as if they are as much a part of them as their own faces. I almost expect one of them to turn a corner real fast and unmask, only to reveal a scarier mask underneath like in Alice, Sweet Alice. Like the scene in that movie, the emotion we’re dealing with in “Scandalized Masks” is pure terror.
See also, The Masks of James Ensor
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