Happy Halloween TIME: Clocks by Salvador Dali

These are two works by Salvador Dali, a painter I admire for the techniques he masters, that talks about time.

Time is never enough and one of the reasons for stress.

That is why I did chose time as a theme for this Halloween.

Happy Halloween! The next one is just around the corner and it seems it was yesterday I wrote this post, and this one about last year's Halloween.

My first Halloween

(click to enlarge)

"Now I got a glimpse of what Halloween is. I remember when I was a child people talking about the "day of witches" as it was translated into Portuguese and now I know that it's not a good translation because I learned the historical facts. I never thought I could be side by side with Americans on November, 31 and there I was parting with them and learning what they do with all these pumpkins when the party is over, that skulls, skeletons, graveyards, zombies, ghosts and many other things are involved in the party. I had a great Halloween! My first Halloween." Photo taken at Cypris Village at Second Life at the Haunted House created by students that are at this group.

James Ensor and Halloween

Halloween in here and skulls, skeletons, death is everywhere. I remembered James Ensor today, The Belgium painter, the painter of masks, is considered as an expressionist. Like happens to many painters the label does not cover the huge range of interests of their work and covers some of their most important characteristics.

"But he made paintings, drawings and prints of a variety of sizes, styles and subjects, ranging from traditional to singular and fantastical. The scope of his innovation was equally broad, from his visionary rendition of light and expressive use of paint to his unique and often startling vocabulary of images."

"His innovative and allegorical use of light, his prominent use of satire, his deep interest in carnival and performance, and his own self-fashioning and use of masking, travesty, and role-playing present a complete picture of a daring, experimental body of work."*

I believe that this is the spirit of Halloween and a serious scholar or art's critics would hate to hear such a comparison. Please don't tell on me to them. They can come here tomorrow!

Boo!

Right: "Death and the Masks" 1897 James Ensor Left: The skeleton Painter. 1895, by James Ensor *Source: MOMA intereactive exhibition.(a must-see)