Léon Spilliaert (born in Ostend on July 28, 1881, died in Brussels on November 23, 1946) is a Belgian painter who frequented the world of Belgian symbolism, of which Maeterlinck and Verhaeren were the best known members. His influences range from Edvard Munch to Fernand Khnopff, but also Nietzsche and Lautréamont, while his paintings and the themes they represent can be compared to those of Edward Hopper, a contemporary of Spilliaert. He was close to James Ensor, another Belgian painter.