The artwork titled “The Sacrifice, from The Satanic Ones,” created by Felicien Rops around 1882, is a piece rendered in gouache and watercolor on paper. This work is characterized as part of the Symbolism art movement and features dimensions of 25.8 x 18 cm. The genre of the artwork is described as a mythological painting.
The artwork depicts a surreal, dark scene that evokes a sense of demonic mysticism. Central to the composition is a nude female figure, draped across a pedestal with a look of distress, her form sprawled with long flowing hair cascading to the ground. Mounted exaltedly above her, a hybrid figure with a skeletal animal mask and elongated limbs stands menacingly. This figure dominates the eerie atmosphere with its horns and spectral presence. Ethereal beings, ghostly and skeletal, float ominously in the background. The pedestal itself features an etched drawing of a crouching figure, adding to the overall somber and haunting tone of the piece. The use of muted colors and the blending of gouache and watercolor serve to enhance the spectral, otherworldly feel of the scene, emphasizing the painting’s theme that explores the macabre and the symbolic interpretation of ritualistic sacrifice.
