Brutonne 1929

James Ensor made this drawing using colored pencil. Ensor's use of line is incredibly energetic, isn't it? I can almost feel the frenetic movement of his hand across the paper. It's like he's not just drawing a figure, but capturing a whole mood, a fleeting impression. I wonder if he was thinking about movement or costume design when he made this? The drawing has a theatrical flair. You know, I can imagine Ensor sketching furiously, trying to capture the essence of this character. It reminds me of the drawings of other artists like Daumier or Grosz, who used caricature to explore the human condition. All of us artists are in an ongoing conversation, riffing off each other's ideas across time. It's great. I love seeing that.