James Ensor was a Belgian painter born in 1860 in Ostend. He left school at age 15 to become an artist and had a studio in his parents' attic. Ensor was innovative in his use of light and satire and had a deep interest in carnival performances and masks. One of his most famous works is Christ's Entry Into Brussels, which depicted a carnival scene in Jerusalem and was a precursor to Expressionism. Ensor incorporated masks and skeletons in many of his works and used bizarre subjects and bright colors. He died in 1949 in Ostend at the age of 89.