The artwork “Skeletons Fighting Over a Pickled Herring,” created by James Ensor in 1891, is a symbolic painting that belongs to the Expressionist art movement. This piece depicts a gruesome yet thought-provoking scene featuring two skeletons engaged in a fight over a pickled herring. The skeletal figures are animated, locked in a grim battle, highlighting themes of mortality, greed, and the absurdity of human conflict. The background features a sky painted with swathes of pink and blue, enhancing the surreal and eerie quality of the scene. Ensor’s signature is visible on the artwork, anchoring the composition in his unique and evocative style.
