Wood engravingexpand_more
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Gabriel P. Weisbergexpand_more 2019.115.10
Félicien Rops is one of the most notorious artists of the Symbolist movement, especially well known for his sexually charged and demonic imagery. Yet, his practice was quite diverse, and he was also sought out for his skills as commercial designer. The present poster advertises the magazine La Vie élégante. It was intended for display in the window of bookshops that sold the magazine. As suggested by the alluring allegories in Rops’s image, La Vie élégante catered to the upper middle class, the beau monde interested itself in luxury leisure activity: riding and racing horses, concerts and theater, shopping, and travel—something along the lines of Vanity Fair or Town and Country today.
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