Skeletons in the Studio

In this scene, Ensor assembles exotic masks, Asian objects, and seemingly animate clothed skeletons in a corner of his studio. These mystifying details are recurring elements in the artist’s paintings and only their adjacency to commonplace objects alleviates the disquieting atmosphere. The jumbled collection of curios recall his mother’s souvenir shop, which was below the artist’s studio, in Ostend, Belgium.