Sloth (La paresse) 1902

This is an etching, made by James Ensor, and it’s all about the scratchy lines. I imagine him bent over the plate, his hand moving back and forth, biting his tongue in concentration. What has Ensor caught here? Two lumpy heads are snuggled in bed, while outside, there’s toil and labour. It’s as if he's saying, "I know, I know, the world demands action," yet our bed-bound heroes are visited by a scary devil, and an exploding clock. A giant, melting clock. The sleepers are haunted by time itself. I love how he sees the world, like a conversation between Goya and Philip Guston. Ensor looked at the world with his own weird sense of humour. I reckon he saw it all, the horror and the comedy, and he wasn’t afraid to put it all down in these hectic marks.