By Alberto MENGONI
(THE GLOBE)
�Innovator� is how Ensor could be labeled, never had been seen painted, in fact, save for two great Flemish artists of the past, Bosch and Bruegel, dressed skeletons � a metaphoric way to look at life, although rather macabre � and masks so colorful and grotesque as to mean, in a way, mankind�s ineluctable decay.
Yes, James Ensor, Belgian painter born at Ostend in 1860, rightfully wears the title of �trait d�union� between life and fantasy, a link, of course, of impressionistic kind.
Surely inspired by an uncle of his, seller of masks, with whom he spent his early years, young James entered Brussels Academy of Fine Arts at 17 to be taught the basics of painting. Course after course the painter spent as much as 20 years there, developing a technique influenced by the vast mass of fresh ideas coming from nearby France, of which Belgium particularly benefited. So a metamorphosis took place, both genetically and artistically: the student-youngster became a full grown man with nothing more to learn, urging only to go his own way. Under the artistic point of view, in those two decades (1877-1897) that mark not only the artist�s most prolific
period, but as well the best of his talent, Ensor became the forerunner of pictorial movements constituting the very base of today�s figurative art.
Quite naturally, in the quest of his art the painter has engaged himself in formative periods marked by impressive works such as �The lamplighter� and �The oarsman�, both of the �80s, imbued with social contents, where at a closer look it can be detected a stream of Courbet.
Of high significance also his �dark period�, during which the dominant colors of his works are gloomy, introspective ones, so to be one accord with the expressed melancholy and full awareness of the shabby life of the painted characters, �Lady in blue�, �Sad lady�, or to match the gray atmosphere of his hometown, like in �Afternoon at Ostend�.
But still this is not his way, James feels an urge to express his inner passion that finds way only after the artist comes across with the impressionistic school. Now his feelings expand into an explosion of colors, lively transpositions of once silent secrets. It�s like a dumb that finds himself, all of a sudden, blessed by a tenor voice, he�d sing forever. For Ensor it is the same: found his way, he would express it �ad libidum�.
It�s in 1883 that Ensor�s inspiration results in the first of his many masks: the dice is cast! Now his world is no longer represented by nature, never quite solar at Ostend, but by a symbolism that gathers, like in a kaleidoscope, bits and pieces of humanity, the good and the bad, the worst and the best, as Ensor himself testifies: �I confined myself in the lonely place in which commands the mask made of violence, light, splendour. Such mask tells me about freshness of tone, marked expression, sumptuous scene, unexpected beaux gestes, uncoordinated movements, refined turbulences�. No critic or scholar would have been able to define more properly Ensor�s genius than the artist himself.
In the decades of the �80s and�90s the artist paints his top production, �Christ�s entrance in Brussels� (1888), considered his most remarkable work, and other masterpieces such as �Mrs. Wouse�s astonishment�, �The intrigue� and �Masks and death�.
Then James� vein starts to dry up, not yet 40 he becomes repetitive, even haunting perhaps, clear sign of a reached �specialization� that suits well his needs and feelings.
He tries etching, but his graphic production, although of good level, never hoisted him to the sublime height of his �Christ�. This production is mostly concentrated in two periods, 1886-1889 and again in 1895-1899, but in spite of good results like with �The triumph of death�, �The battle of golden spurs�, and �Ostend baths�, his artistic vitality, as it happened in painting, calms down before the turn of the century.
Too bad for Ensor that having lived some more 49 years, might have had all the time he needed to produce other masterpieces.
James died in 1949 in his native Ostend, that likes to consider him the �prince des peintres� and celebrates, like the rest of Belgium, the 50th anniversary of his death with a retrospective, well balanced by another one held at the Museum of Fine Arts of Brussels.
Ensor has been a breaking painter like all those who set canons rather than adopting them, his misfortune being of having come too early with a kind of art not yet accustomed to paintings such as those of Picasso, Chagall, Munch. So critics have been extremely severe with his works, but seldom so-called �connoiseurs� have made so evident their narrow-mindedness.
Even friendly artist, co-founders like Ensor of avant-garde groups such as �Free aesthetics�, opposed his presence in such associations, up to the extent of voting for his expulsion. Fortunately failing, but the bitterness is almost tangible in the artist�s words: �Bien qu�anime� de bonnes intentions pacifiques, je bouleverse toutes les convenances picturales� on m�injurie, on m�insulte, je suis fou, je suis sot, je suis mechant, mauvais, incapable, ignorant, un simple �chou� devient une turpitude��.
The new century, however, fecund of new currents of expression, didn�t last too much to reckon in Ostend�s �prince des peintres� the mark of the genius, as the world�s most important museums run to acquire his works has amply demonstrated during these last 100 years.
Aigul MYRZATAI
(Specially for THE GLOBE)
ALMATY, Sept 30
�The situation is changing, jurors,� possibly so it is possible to interpret the press conference �Leader of the 21st century�, which was held on September 29 in Ankara hotel.
It is noteworthy that namely at the threshold of the new millennium the Kazakhstan population thought about the new generation of 16-years-old children, with the help of �Khabar� TV channel. In the person of one of the main representatives of �Khabar� Mr. Rerikh, the audience heard how difficult it is for Kazakhstan without �intellectuals�. Hence, all hopes are for the future, i.e. for the young generation.
Indeed, the Kazakhstan land has dried out long ago without leading scientist and artists. Their Kazakh names are being mentioned by foreign newspapers, but not by ours. �This is the reality, jurors!�
The intellectual hunger to happen in Kazakhstan was discussed long before the press conference �Leader�. But, alas, nobody wished to listen to the opinion of young and daring nucleus physician, biologists, doctors and musicians. There was the only task to replenish the treasury of the young state. However, we cannot say that everything was bad in the republic. Some measures were taken in this direction. �Bolashak� fund was established. It is unknown how young talents were selected. The only known thing is that not all Bolashak persons were patriotic. Just the opposite, most of them while leaving the country, knew perfectly well that they would not return here.
Now Kazakhstan faces the intellectual hunger. Being short of brains, the Kazakhstan population has at last realised that they cannot lead the country out of the economic catastrophe with the help of oil only. People having brains differ from functionaries. They do not need any scale of rank. They require only conditions for scientific experiments. Then, second Maxwell and Lobachevsky will make the world talk about scientific discoveries of Kazakhstan.
Losing respected brains, Kazakhstan decided to correct the situation with the help of the young generation. The republic decided to bring them up according to the patriotic idea and to make them a highly-intellectual elite. With the help of the intellectual game �Leader of the 21st century�, Kazakhstan is trying to overcome the present situation. Well, �the situation is changing, jurors.�
It is pleasant to realise that this idea was supported by the leading world�s company �LG Electronics�, which sponsored �Khabar� in the amount of US$ 58500. It is interesting, according to Mr. Rerikh; this program has no commercial objectives. That means Mr. Rerikh again repeated the commonly accepted truth � only an intellectual cannot have commercial objectives, as he was born outside �everyday fuss.�
Michail SERGEEV
ALMATY, Sept 29
(THE GLOBE)
It is known that on the last Thursday Nursultan Nazarbaev established the Commission on counteraction religious extremism. The commission is headed by the secretary of Security Council Marat Tazhin (THE GLOBE #72 (390), 24.09.99).
The recent events in Caucasus, in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and a number of terrorist acts in Russia forced the authorities to establish the Commission, which is supposed to suppress religious extremist organisations in the republic.
Sabit Zhusupov, the director of the Kazakhstan Institute of Social-Economic Information and Prognoses commented for THE GLOBE the threat to Kazakhstan in the form of religious extremism.
I think, undoubtedly, at the present time the establishment of this commission is appropriate. However, the commission was called absolutely incorrect. In my opinion, to create a commission and directly mention its relation to any belief is absolutely wrong.
First, vakhabism is the official religion of Saudi Arabia. Even theologists name the vakhabits Islamic Protestants. I think, the fact that both politicians and mass media daily use the word �Islamic extremism� in any interpretation is absolutely incorrect. As representatives of different religions or religious sects may be extremists.
The unstable situation, crisis of the national economics and total resentment of the population in Central Asia is a fertile soil for the development of different extremist organisations, including under religious slogans. The present situation is ideal for any type of provocations.
This can be proved by the recent events in the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan, where the local army demonstrated that it is completely unable to opposite a couple of hundreds of gunmen.
In connection with this, Akaev�s refusal from help proposed by Uzbek servicemen is understandable. As the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan are mainly inhabited by the ethnical Uzbeks (this causes territorial disputes). Till the present time everybody remembers the Osh conflict between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs happened in the beginning of 1990-s. All this is quite a logical continuation of the opposition in the Central Asian republics, namely in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Hence, we come to conclusion that our Central Asian Union is an absolutely conventional and ephemeral structure.
At the present time in the Central Asian region there is a real threat for the countries to lose their sovereignty. Active trials to redistribute natural resources are being observed in the region. In connection with this, it seems to me that the recent action of extremists in Dagestan was just a trial to seize a part of the natural resources of the Caspian Sea.
So, for the time being we should hardly wait for a quiet life in our region rich in natural resources, which attracts careful attention not only by the West, but also by different extremists.
I would like to mention also that the activity of this commission will be positive only of we have some positive changes in the economy.
Beibars BATYRKHANOV
ALMATY, Sept 28 (THE GLOBE)
�Near the village of Uzynagash, at the border on Kyrgyzstan one of the local citizens ran into a group of armed people, including of Caucasus nationality,� the leader of the ecological union �Tabigat� announced on Tuesday in Almaty.
According to Mels Yeleusizov, he received a letter from one of the electors. This letter contained the narration of a person who saw beside armed people 4 lorries and a flock of sheep moving towards the mountains, where the armed people were.
According to Mr. Yeleusizov, the population of the village repeatedly applied to the regional Akim requesting him to clarify the situation, as their children go to the supposed gunmen�s camp, where they are paid about US$ 1000.
In his opinion, most probably, at a distance of 60 km from Almaty there is a base of the Mojaheds. The local people say that they knew about this base for a long time.
�I asked the man sent the letter to make an inquiry to the CNS department. Today I talked to the colonel Kunisov, and he did not confirmed the information. Though officers of the Committee who went to the place, said that this information was partially proved,� he stated.
Mels Yeleusizov publicly called the legal organisations to pay serious attention to the situation and having clarified it, to give the complete information.
�I appeal to Rakhat Aliev and ask personnel of CNS to clarify everything. If this information is false, let them prosecute people who distribute it. If facts are confirmed, let them say the truth and take proper measures,� he resumed.
The CNS department of Almaty and the Almaty region refuted the information of Mr. Yeleusizov.
An independent expert commented for THE GLOBE the announcement of the leader of �Tabigat�:
- The announcement of Mels Yeleusizov is symptomatic enough, as there are so huge territories, especially the mountain massive in our republic. The Committee of National Security should not be so optimistic. The appearance of such groups, especially in mountain regions, is quite possible.
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