James Ensor's abstract painting Various Monsters exemplifies how modern artists continued to explore mythological themes through new aesthetic approaches that responded to changing intellectual and social contexts. This work, part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp's collection, demonstrates Ensor's distinctive ability to blend humour with macabre elements, creating visual experiences that address profound human concerns through seemingly fantastical imagery.

Ensor's exploration of monstrous figures connects his work to a rich tradition of hybrid and liminal beings in mythology across cultures. However, his abstract treatment of these forms represents a distinctly modern approach—creating visual experiences that function symbolically rather than narratively, evoking psychological states rather than illustrating specific stories. This evolution from narrative to symbolic representation demonstrates how mythological thinking adapted to modern artistic frameworks that emphasised subjective experience over shared narrative.

The vibrant colours and imaginative forms in this work exemplify Ensor's unique position within European modernism—drawing on traditional symbolic motifs while developing highly personal visual language that influenced subsequent artistic movements. His fascination with grotesque imagery provided a means of exploring human anxiety and social hypocrisy through displaced symbolic forms that maintained connection to folkloric and mythological traditions while addressing distinctly modern psychological and social concerns.

This painting's preservation in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp reflects ongoing cultural interest in understanding how traditional mythological concerns evolved through modern artistic innovation. Rather than representing complete rupture with earlier symbolic traditions, Ensor's monsters demonstrate how modern art maintained connections to mythological thinking while developing new visual languages appropriate to changed social and intellectual circumstances. The work thus exemplifies how mythological elements persisted in modern artistic imagination, adapted to address contemporary psychological and social realities through innovative formal approaches.