Descent from the Cross 1921

This is James Ensor’s Descent from the Cross, made with crayon on paper. The loose, sketchy quality gives the whole composition a feeling of immediacy, like we’re witnessing a raw, unfiltered moment. Looking at the marks, you can almost feel Ensor’s hand moving across the page. The crayon lines are vibrant and unblended, the rough texture of the paper adding to the sense of urgency. Notice how the figures are rendered with a kind of frenetic energy, their forms dissolving into a haze of color. Take for instance, the figure being held at the base of the cross. The blue and green strokes add a dimension to the red and orange of the rest of the composition. Ensor was really interested in exploring human psychology, and you can feel that in the mark making itself. His work reminds me a little of Munch’s, but with a kind of sardonic twist. He embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations, which is what makes his art so endlessly fascinating.