Patrick Bade 
Felicien Rops 

Felicien Rops (1833-1898) is a very surprising artist. Engraver and drawer of exception, Felicien Rops captures and anticipates, with astonishing talent, the female body with great modernity. Abandoning the conventional forms of the time, the artist creates a world full of humour, tenderness and, at times, insolence for the jubilation of the spectator’s eye. Many of Rops’ most famous works dealt with erotic and sensual themes, often depicting nudes or scenes of debauchery. He also frequently incorporated elements of the supernatural and the macabre, such as skeletons or demons, into his works. Some of his pieces were overtly political or social in nature, often criticizing the hypocrisy of the Church or the bourgeoisie.
Overall, Rops’ art is complex, multifaceted, and often confrontational. It challenged societal norms and pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in art during his time.