Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
Medium
Pen and black ink and watercolor
Dimensions
19-7/8 x 4-1/2 in. (50.5 x 11.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dana Broccoli, 1981
Accession Number
1981.1228.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops, a Belgian artist renowned for his provocative Symbolist and satirical works in the late 19th century, created *Liberté, Egal, Fraternité*, striking pen and black ink drawing heightened with watercolor. This intimate medium—measuring just 19-7/8 x 4-1/2 inches—allowed Rops to blend precise linework with fluid color washes, capturing dynamic energy in a compact format typical of his exploratory sketches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints (gift of Dana Broccoli, 1981), the piece evokes the French Revolution's iconic motto through tags suggesting armed men ...
About the Artist
Félicien Rops · 1833–1898
Félicien Rops, born Félicien Victor Joseph Rops on July 7, 1833, in Namur, Belgium, to a prosperous textile manufacturing family, displayed prodigious artistic talent from youth. The only child of Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile, he received private tutoring until age ten, followed by education at a Jesuit school in Namur (1843–1848), the Athénée Royal de Namur, and the Academy of Fine Arts there...