Saving Appearances

The surface may be where truth begins.

James Ensor, Self-Portrait with Masks (1899), oil on canvas, 46 x 32 in., Menard Art Museum, Komaki, Japan.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

We are told we live in a post-truth society—perhaps only a “post-fact” one. Matters of fact become matters of opinion. Everything can be true in its own way.

Once, seeing was believing. Now it’s the surest sign you’re being f…