JAMES ENSOR Drawings, 1883 – 1893 4 December – 17 February, 2001 Faggionato Fine Arts, in association with Sabine Taevernier, is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition James Ensor, Drawings, 1883 –1893 . The drawings on show concentrate on the most creative and experimental period of the artist’s career. They are marked by an extreme eccentricity which expresses, in tragic and poignant terms, Ensor’s isolation and that of modern man within an increasingly chaotic society. Transforming and reinventing the familiar masks that were sold in his mother’s shop, Ensor created an allegorical image of urban anxiety, anticipating and describing one of the central themes of European thought at this time. Throughout this period we find Ensor exploring, through his use of masks, skeletons and disguise, the mortal aspect of creation, inevitably, moving to the image of Christ. It is these pictures which resonate with his desperate solitude and depict a psychological view of the world that is even more relevant today. In Ensor’s work we find a mind both macabre and poignant, tirelessly pushing for the development of new themes. These drawings reveal the artist moving away from realism towards a fantastic and even supernatural view of life. Along with Odilon Redon and Edward Munch, Ensor’s work reveals the psychological tensions that would later characterise expressionism and surrealism. __________________ Please contact Anna Pryer for further information on Tel: (020) 7409 7979 or email ffa@attglobal.net Opening Hours Monday – Friday 10.00 – 5.30pm Saturday: By Appointment Only Christmas Holiday Closed 21 December – Opening 3 January, 2001