De cataclysmen 1888

James Ensor created this print, *De cataclysmen*, using etching, a process where a metal plate is coated with a waxy resist, and then an image is scratched into it. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating lines that hold ink. The stark lines and dramatic contrasts speak to the precision and control required by the printmaking process. Yet Ensor’s application of these techniques feels almost anarchic. He creates a swirling panorama of destruction, with comets raining down on a townscape, and waves crashing against the shore. Ensor was working at a time of huge social upheaval, with mass production transforming society. Perhaps the chaos depicted in this work reflects his anxieties about these changes, or is a more general statement about humanity's precarious existence in a rapidly modernizing world. Either way, by mastering a traditional craft and then pushing it to its limits, Ensor makes us confront the raw energy of destruction.