Félicien Rops 1833–1898) — Belgian symbolist artist, illustrator, watercolourist and printmaker whose work was admired but also considered "overly provocative" and "indecent".
In the cabaret
And with good reason. Rops focused on the depiction of female sensuality and seduction, he thought to create a gallery of “types of the XIX century” and indeed sometimes painted a pretty factory worker at the lamppost, on which were pasted calls for a strike, but such paintings in his work is not too much, although the issues of unjust social order he was not alien. However, the main motive of his work is the demonstration of sensual female charm, sometimes quite frank.
Worship
Almost all the women he portrayed, regardless of social origin extremely self-confident, full of life and at the same time combines natural charm with frank vulgarity.
Gray hair in the beard - the devil in the ribs
Felicien Rops said: “I really want to depict scenes from life and types of the XIX century. The thirst for base pleasures, petty domestic concerns and empty interests put a lifeless mask on the faces of my contemporaries, and it is very amusing to me to explore and depict it”. Based on this philosophy Rops writes not real women, but some abstract images, completely devoid of spirituality, and interested only in sensual pleasures.
Narcissism
It is clear that there was a satirical exaggeration in this, the artist brought to the extreme the reflection of the processes taking place, in his opinion, in society, when the old concepts of morality became of no interest to anyone, and the triumph of capital came to the fore. Therefore, in his female images, a certain demonic principle is clearly manifested, it is no coincidence that Igor Grabar wrote about Rops's work: "he is a real singer of female Satanism, female charms and the body."
Demonic entity
Rops was born into a family of a factory worker, and therefore was not too much in need of money and was relatively free to choose his life path. He enrolled at the prestigious University of Brussels, where he planned to study law. There he soon became his own among the cheerful and freedom-loving student fraternity, befriended the writer Charles de Coster and joined several student circles. However, Ropsa more interested in painting than boring jurisprudence. He began to draw political cartoons for Belgian magazines, and at the same time attended the Brussels “workshop of St. Luke”. At the age of 32, he decided to go to Paris, and from then on he was exclusively engaged in creative work.
Venus and Cupid
He wrote oil paintings, but preferred graphics, as more responsive to various problems of society, favor at the time the demand for various drawings and prints was very large.
Where's the fire?
Greatly mastered the technique of lithography and etching, created many illustrations for such books as “History of Cafes and Cabarets of Paris”, “Parisian heteros”, to satirical works of the founder of decadence and symbolism poet Baudelaire, and the author of many satirical poems of Béranger. And for himself he made sketches of all the women who interested him: circus actresses, ladies of the half-light, inhabitants of brothels and just random passers-by he saw on the street.
Cabaret actress
The artist did not need money, and therefore creativity for him was more a way to express his thoughts and life position, rather than earn money. But gradually his works, despite the obvious challenge to all the rules of society, became more and more popular. A good school of political cartooning was not in vain: most of his works have clear satirical overtones and openly provocative titles.
The Temptation of St. Anthony. 1878
He boldly reinterpreted some biblical stories in his own way, for example, “The Temptation of Saint Anthony”, and often depicted Satan and the symbolic embodiment of vice, as in the painting “Pornocracy”.
Pornocracy. 1896
However, towards the end of his life work as a graphic artist and engraver strongly affected his eyesight: Rops almost blinded and died at the age of 65, leaving a rich creative legacy, reflecting the way of thinking and the desire for innovation, characteristic of many advanced people of the XIX century.
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