The Last Flemish, I 1857

Editor: This is "The Last Flemish, I," a lithograph print on paper created in 1857 by Felicien Rops, now residing at the Art Institute of Chicago. It feels a bit crowded and melancholic, doesn't it? There’s something about the expressions…What story do you think Rops is trying to tell here? Curator: Crowded indeed, like a smoky pub where secrets and societal shifts are brewing. This lithograph is fascinating. To me, Rops is poking gentle fun, isn't he? He captures a perceived decline of Flemish identity amid the rising tide of French influence, which certainly caused some anxieties back then. The figures huddled together almost defensively… What details jump out at you? Editor: The faces mostly. Some look rather glum, others almost comical, with those top hats and pinched expressions. Curator: Exactly! It's like Rops is both observing and commenting on these figures – their resistance, their bewilderment. And the way he uses light and shadow, that hatching and cross-hatching, gives them such…character! I see a critique, a subtle irony layered within realism. What does the work inspire in you? Editor: That's a great perspective. I was caught up in the gloominess but now I see that the artwork's humour really changes my perspective on it! Curator: I adore how art lets you turn sadness into insight. And I think Rops is smiling along with us. The subtle visual narrative can still bring awareness. Editor: Well, I hadn’t considered the underlying humor, but now it's so clear. I'll never look at a melancholic group portrait the same way again!