De schelpen 1929

James Ensor made ‘The Shells’ with coloured crayon. There’s something so delightfully unpretentious about crayon. Here, Ensor uses it to create a whimsical scene with three figures, perhaps performers, adorned in striped costumes. Look closely and you can see how the crayon is applied with short, rapid strokes, building up layers of colour and texture. The lines are loose and sketchy, giving the drawing a sense of spontaneity, like a quick sketch dashed off backstage. The colours – pastel shades of orange, blue, and green – create a light and airy atmosphere, almost like a dream. Notice that in the central figure, the stripes morph to become vertical, accentuating the form of the figure beneath the costume. Ensor's playful approach to form and colour reminds me of the work of Redon, who also embraced dreamlike imagery and unconventional materials. Both artists invite us to enter a world of imagination and embrace the beauty of imperfection.