Background

Félicien Rops was born on July 7, 1833 in Namur, Belgium. He was a son of Sophie Maubile and Nicholas Rops, a textile manufacturer.

Education

Initially, Rops studied at a local academy in Namur, where he received his first formal artistic training. At the age of twenty, Félicien left for Brussels, where he attended the University of Brussels (present-day Free University of Brussels). Some time later, the painter enrolled at the Académie de Saint-Luc, also in Brussels.

Career

During the time, when Rops studied at the Académie de Saint-Luc, he started to produce satirical lithographs for the student magazine "Le Crocodile". Some time later, his early work for student periodicals attracted the attention of publishers, and Félicien began to create illustrations, contributing some of his finest lithographs to the satirical journal "Uylenspiegel" during the period from 1859-1860. Also, at that time, Rops produced a number of etchings for children's books by Charles De Coster.

Approximately in 1860, the painter left for Paris, where he worked at the studio of Henri-Alfred Jacquemart. During his time in Paris, he also befriended a poet Charles Baudelaire and created the frontispiece for his work, entitled "Les Épaves".

Returning to Brussels, Rops established the short-lived International Society of Etchers. In 1865, he produced his famous "Absinthe Drinker" and some time later, in 1871, his "Lady with the Puppet" was created.

After 1874, the painter again lived in Paris, where he devoted himself principally to illustrating books. Among his notable book illustrations are those for "Légendes flamandes" by Charles De Coster, "Jeune France" by Théophile Gautier, "Les Diaboliques" by Barbey d’Aurevilly and others. His last piece of work, an advertisement of an exhibition, was done in November 1896.

Achievements

• Félicien Rops was a renowned painter, who gained prominence for his works, which mingled the themes of sex and death in his irreligious images. "Pornocrates" is his most famous work. Also, Félicien was one of the first modern etchers to revive the neglected medium of soft-ground etching.
  
  Moreover, Rops was a founding member of Les Vingt (revolutionary art society) and Free Society of Fine Arts in Belgium.
  
  In 1889, he was made a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

Works

More photos

• caricature

  • Bust of King Leopold II

  • Étienne Soubre

  • Étienne Soubre

  • St. Therese as a Philosopher

  • Louis Namêche

• illustration

  • The Hanged Man at the Bell

    (Illustration for "The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamm...)

  • The Hidden Side of a Whist Party

    (Illustration from "Les Diaboliques" by Jules Amedee Barbe...)

  • Front Cover of Joséphin Péladan's Novel 'Initiation Sentimentale'

  • Dinner with Atheists

  • The Sphinx

  • Illustration of 'Les Diaboliques'

  • Illustration of 'Les Diaboliques'

  • Illustration of 'Les Diaboliques'

  • Incantation

  • The Best Love of Don Juan

  • At a Dinner of Atheists

  • Illustration for 'Les Epaves' by Charles Baudelaire

• painting

  • The Sailors' Den

  • Venus and Cupid

  • Burial in the Walloon Country

  • The Reader

  • The Satanic. Removal

  • Head of old woman from Antwerp

  • The Supreme Vice

  • Sex position '69'

  • Prostitution and Madness Dominating the World

  • Women

  • Lady with Puppet

  • The Social Revolution

  • The Lover of Christ

  • The Girl in the Cantine for Pilots

  • Frequently Asked Love (The Cage)

  • Order Reigns in Warsaw

  • Lady with Puppet

  • Death at the Ball

  • The Entrance to the Ball

  • My Aunt Johanna

  • Satanic Self-Portrait

  • Homage to Pan

  • Woman on a Rocking Horse

  • The Satanic. Calvary

  • The Slag

  • Father Muck

  • Sex is Like God

  • The Temptation of St. Anthony

  • Tranformism

  • Human Pardon

  • Lady with Puppet

  • The Sacrifice, from The Satanic Ones

  • A Gentleman and a Lady (Aurelien Scholl and Marie Colombier)

  • The Werwolf

  • The Trifles of the Door

  • The Scraps

  • María Magdalena

  • Coquette in front of a mirror

  • Behind the Scenes

  • The Satanic. Satan Sowing Tares

  • Pornocrates

  • Cythera's Toilette

  • The Dance of Death

  • Hamadryad

  • The Shower

  • Appeal to the Masses

  • The Sentimental Initiation

  • The Cold Devils

  • Little Model

  • The Siesta

  • The Absinthe Drinker

  • St. Therese

  • Lesbos, Known as Sappho

  • After Midnight (The Return to Love the Lack of It)

  • Kisses of Death

  • The Devil and Eve in the Garden of Eden

  • Gozo Hermafrodita

  • The Prehistoric Mating or Hunting for the Femal

  • The Row

• sketch

  • Study for The Temptation of St. Anthony

  • The Theatre Gaillard

  • Study for The Temptation of Saint Anthony

Membership

Félicien Rops was a freemason and a member of the Grand Orient of Belgium.

• founding member

  Les Vingt (revolutionary art society) , Belgium

  1883

• founding member

  Free Society of Fine Arts , Belgium

  1868

Connections

In 1857, Rops married Charlotte Polet de Faveaux. Their marriage produced two children — Paul and Juliette. The couple's daughter, Juliette, died at a young age.

Some time later, after the failure of his first marriage, Félicien left for Paris, where he had an affair with his sister, whose name was Léontine Duluc. Later, they gave birth to their daughter Claire.

Father:

Nicholas Rops

Mother:

Sophie Maubile

child:

Paul Rops

child:

Juliette Rops

child:

Claire Rops

Wife:

Charlotte Polet de Faveaux

life partner:

Léontine Duluc

Friend:

Charles Baudelaire

References

• Felicien Rops: 140 Master Drawings and Prints
  2015
• Felicien Rops: 203 Plates
  2016
• The Graphic Work of Felicien Rops
  1968
• Felicien Rops: Life and Work
  2007