Temptation or the Apple
n.d.
Medium
Heliogravure, with hand-coloring, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 18.1 × 13.4 cm (7 3/16 × 5 5/16 in.); Plate: 25 × 17.1 cm (9 7/8 × 6 3/4 in.); Sheet, folded: 45.3 × 33.9 cm (17 7/8 × 13 3/8 in.)
Classification
photogravure
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
49357
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops, a pioneering Belgian artist of the late 19th century (183–1898), captivates with *Temptation or the*, a provocative print that evokes the biblical story of Eve's fateful choice. Associated with Symbolism and the Decad movement, Rops masterfully blended eroticism, the macabre, and moral ambiguity in his works, often featuring seductive female figures entangled with themes of sin and temptation. This undated piece, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, exemplifies his fascination with human desire's darker undercurrents. Crafted as a heliogravur...
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...