9. LÉON SPILLIAERT (1881-1946) Grille around the Royal Palace Hotel, rue du Trône, Ostend 1909 signed and dated 'L. Spilliaert 09' (lower left) brush and Indian ink wash, pencil and coloured pencils on paper Executed in 1909 64 x 50 cm. This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné currently being prepared by Dr Anne Adriaens-Pannier. Provenance Luc Schöller Collection, Antwerp. Private collection (by descent in 1976). Exhibition Ostend, Het Spilliaert Huis, Before the Wave. Spilliaert-Tuymans-Vercruysse- Dujourie-Brodahl, 6 June - 11 October 2020, no. 28. Bibliography Y. Vyncke, Oostende in oude prentkaarten, deel 1, Europese Bibliotheek Zaltbommel, 1982, (illustrated 134 & 136). The Royal Palace Hotel, with its imposing architecture and geometric more than just a building to Spilliaert. It symbolised the transformation of Ostend from a simple fishing port to a fashionable seaside resort under King Leopold II. This urban evolution, marked by rectilinear buildings such as the Kursaal the Kursaal, the sea wall and the Royal Galleries, had a profound influence on the artist. the artist. He simplified composition and form to the extreme, reinforcing the general atmosphere of solitude and anguish that mirrored his own experience. In his works, Spilliaert captured the essence of these structures, often often in nocturnal scenes where the dark masses of buildings diluted by the dim light of the street lamps, creating a sensation of a sense of lost bearings and dizzying infinity. This approach is is particularly evident in works such as "Night" (1908), in which a solitary a solitary man in a top hat walks along an imposing colonnade, evoking a mental and visual line of flight. These works bear witness Spilliaert's use of Ostend's architecture, particularly the Hôtel Royal Palace Royal Palace, to explore themes of solitude, melancholy and existential vertigo. and existential vertigo. Through his representations of this building, he was able to express the tensions between architectural modernity and human feelings of loneliness and anguish. anguish. His works offer an introspective look at the human soul, reflected in the imposing structures of his home town. He creates a tension through empty, frozen spaces. The pale light and rigid architectural lines underline an atmosphere of profound of profound solitude. His perspective, vertiginous and hypnotic, guides the eye towards a distant vanishing point. the eye towards a distant vanishing point, creating a sensation of loss of balance. of balance. This incredible composition plunges the viewer into a world mystical world, where infinity seems threatening. We are dazzled by Spilliaert's incredible technical mastery and the emotions and the emotions that this immense artist inspires.