The lady in distress

The image shows a room in the house of the artist's parents. Heavy curtains screen out the sunlight, the outside world seems shut out, time seems to stand still. And yet the painting is not nearly as dark in piercing hues as Ensor's interiors of the previous year. On the contrary, the room seems immersed in a diffuse light that shimmers with colour, and as it were, imaginary light that lends a sense of drama to the languorous, drawling atmosphere of the scene. This light alienates objects such as the loops of material holding up the curtains, and suddenly they turn into strange birds perching on the edge of the bed, seeming to watch or threaten the sleeping woman.