Léon Spilliaert

Looking towards the avant-garde from the vantage point of fin-de-siècle Symbolism, Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) was an einzelgänger, or loner, who never occupied a clear position within the art of his time. He shared not only his hometown of Ostend with James Ensor, but also a tendency towards ridicule and irony, non-conformism and the urge to look at the world from a different perspective.

Spilliaert created his own spiritual imagery. He experimented with Indian ink, pastel and gouache, and played with purified areas of colour and graceful lines. The moonlit sea, lonely figures with a vacant gaze, desolate beaches, empty rooms and stylised silhouettes illuminated from behind: Spilliaert was always able to evoke an atmosphere of mystery, magic and alienation using abstract lines and colours. Because of the magical realism of his work, he can be regarded as a transitional figure between Symbolism and Surrealism.

Anne Adriaens-Pannier, honorary curator at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, has been working on the catalogue raisonné of his oeuvre since 1995, at the request of Léon Spilliaert's family, and pays homage to the artist in this beautifully illustrated publication. The author describes the drawings and paintings and also refers to his book illustrations and lithographs. Spilliaert is situated as a link between the major art movements, and also within the fascinating era in which he lived and worked.
A unique book about an exceptional artist.