Benjamin, resident:
There is something special about the bare bottoms in The Baths at Ostend. The painting includes about ten of them, including under this billowing summer dress. It’s a bit Marilyn Monroe, but in the sea. And the character is younger.
Nine years later, in 1899, Ensor made an etching of the painting, in which the child is wearing her underwear. (Or his underwear, which is also possible, because in those days, little boys often wore dresses too.) Did Ensor think he had gone too far? Perhaps. It is striking though, that he mainly covered up the children in the later version. When it came to the adults, he actually removed a few extra pairs of trousers. Here on the facade of the house, in street artist Jaune’s version, everyone is wearing clothes. Phew.
If you have time, look up the etching online, and see if you can find a few more differences between it and the painting. Do you see the naughty little dog? The fish between the legs? The cat on the bathing cart? It seems like Ensor genuinely wanted to make a game of it. Good luck!