James Ensor: Le peintre de l'absurde et du sacré

by Emile Verhaeren, James Ensor

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Emile Adolphe Gustave Verhaeren (sometimes spelled Émile) was a Belgian poet who wrote in the French language, and one of the chief founders of the school of Symbolism.

He was one of the most prolific poets of his era. His first collection of poems Les Flamandes was published in 1883. Inspired by the paintings of Jacob Jordaens, David Teniers and Jan Steen, Verhaeren described in a direct and often provocative, naturalistic way his country and the Flemish people. It was an immediate success in avant-garde milieus, but caused a great deal of controversy in Catholic circles. His next book Les Moines (1886) was not the success he had hoped for. This, and his health problems, led to a deep crisis. In this period he published Les Soirs (1888), Les Débâcles (1888) and Les Flambeaux Noirs (1891).

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the French version and thoroughly enjoyed it. Verhaeren was a close friend of Ensor, he was also a superb poet. This leads to word descriptions and insight into the paintings of Ensor that have not really been bettered. The uncanny, grotesque and strange nature of Ensor's paintings is central to Verhaeren's personal account. The painter himself was as unusual as his paintings. A worthy introduction to Ensor and his works.