Pornocrates 1896

Felicien Rops created this work, titled Pornocrates, with pencil, watercolor, and gouache. Observe the blindfolded woman leading a pig, hovering above representations of the arts, and the cherubs who flee from her. Rops here draws on a dense web of symbols to create a powerful statement on the relationship between vice and the arts. The pig, traditionally a symbol of lust and gluttony, is here led by a woman representing corrupted power, as "pornocrates" means "the rule of whores". The cherubs perhaps represent the purity of artistic inspiration, fleeing from this corruption. The woman's blindfold hints at the blindness of society to this decay. One is reminded of the Roman goddess Fortuna, often depicted blindfolded, dispensing luck without discernment. Yet here, there is no beneficence, only the stark reality of corrupted influence. It is a potent image of a world where base desires dominate the highest aspirations. The artist engages us on a deep, subconscious level, tapping into our collective anxieties about morality and culture.