Félicien Rops
Namur 1833 – Paris 1898
Portrait of a Young Man Wearing a Fur Hat
Oil on canvas.
Signed Félicien Rops lower right and inscribed Souvenir de mon ami Treur lower left.
240 x 200 mm – 9 7/16 x 7 7/8 in.
This beautiful portrait of a young man is identified by Félicien Rops as “his friend Treur”. It is an intimate work, a trace of the artist’s everyday life, which does not relate to his anti-conventional and scandalous oeuvre. Its simplicity should not overshadow the modernity and freedom of his brushstroke. Painted in a free, rough manner, this portrait easily captures the image and psychology of the young man. Mainly a draughtsman and printer, Rops seems to have practiced painting as a way to express and illustrate his daily life rather than to deliver his artistic message. He mainly painted landscapes around Thozée, the town where he had settled once married, or landscapes seen during his travels, but also portraits of friends, peasants or fishermen. His paintings very rarely display the literary and phantasmagorical atmosphere so typical of the erotic illustrations and occult prints which made his success.
Condition report – Relined on recent canvas and stretcher.
Examination under the U.V. light: The face is in beautiful condition. Small retouching on the lower right and upper left edges with no effect on the image’s perfect legibility.
