Astonishment of the Mask Wouse by James Ensor Postcard

James Ensor - Astonishment of the Mask Wouse, 1889. James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (1860-1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic group Les XX. The work presents a masked, dolled-up old woman in an enchanted room. She is portrayed at full-length and in profile. She is wearing a bonnet with a cashmere stole slung over her shoulders. She has a drip-nose. Her demeanour suggests that she has just stepped into the room. She holds a ridiculous parasol fast in her left hand over her shoulder while, leading from her right hand, she seems to ask what is going on in the bewitched room. At her feet, on the plank floor, lies a collection of sundry items displayed: a violin, a clarinet, masks, an empty bottle, a fan, a top hat and patchwork. Just before she walked into the room there was a masquerade in progress. The music and the noise have maybe enticed her to the room. When she entered the room, the masks fell 'lifeless' into each other.