Marijke, resident:
A priest on the beach? What is he doing ogling that bare bottom? Ensor, who was resolutely anti-Church, reveals his harshest critique here. Make no mistake: in the year 1890, the Church was still a powerful institution. At the time, the priests and nuns ran most of the schools, they were in charge of caring for the sick and the elderly, and above all, they had plenty to say when it came to good morals. Depicting a man in a cassock next to a billowing summer dress - worn by a child as well... Yes, that was really verging on sacrilege.
The priest stands gawping intently at the pink water ballet. Straining from his mound of sand to get a better view. That’s how Ensor painted him. But in reality, the priest could never have been there. In the 19th century, the bishops had expressly forbidden their shepherds of the souls from enjoying the baths at the coast. That would only lead to ‘impure thoughts’. If it was really necessary to immerse oneself in the sea for health reasons, it was only allowed on doctor’s orders. And not in Ostend, but in Blankenberge. Where there were more secluded spots and they were less visible...