Léon Spilliaert: a modern master trapped in Belgium’s past

The ghostly images of the 20th-century painter will soon be seen in the UK for the first time. The Observer’s art critic traces his footsteps in OstendDusk at Ostend, and a black pall descends on the eerie lighthouse. The skyline is starting to fade, the shoreline dwindles to a glimmer. The town lies still, but out at sea the waves are heaving like a sleeper troubled by dangerous dreams. And this is where we are, where the picture puts us – out here in the drowning darkness.The Belgi