Félicien Rops - The Techniques

Drawing

"Ropsodies Hongroises"

Rops often enhanced his works, using pastels, gouache, a technique which was unique to him, ...and this device allowed him to highlight an important detail, to add softness or sparkle, ...

Drawing

"In front of nature, (…) the pencil
still trembles in my hand
like on the first day."

Rops real talent was for drawing. This can even be seen in his etchings; he repeatedly used soft varnish etching, often termed the etching of drawers, and heliogravure which is simply a technical method to increase the life of the drawing.

As with in etching, he was an alchemist in drawing techniques using diverse pencils, pastels, tempera, erasers, combining them with brilliance and great panache.

His drawing career began as a caricaturist, before going on to master the subjects of woman and desire.
In addition to his most prestigious works which are:

L'Attrapade (The Scolding)
Le Bouge à Matelots (The Sailors' Den)
Pornokratès
La Tentation de Saint-Antoine (The Temptation of Saint Anthony),

we should mention "l'Album des 100 légers croquis pour réjouir les honnêtes gens" (the Album of 100 lightweight sketches to delight honest people), a collection of 112 drawings, no longer together, having as their subject "the mysterious and very intimate life of the XIX century".