L'Agonie des Fleurs (Black and White Version)
1890–95
Medium
Etching, softground, and aquatint in black on cream wove imitation Japanese paper
Dimensions
Image: 44.5 × 34.6 cm (17 9/16 × 13 5/8 in.); Plate: 45.2 × 34.8 cm (17 13/16 × 13 3/4 in.); Sheet: 48.2 × 36.9 cm (19 × 14 9/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
210950
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, artist Theodore Roussel crafted *L'Agonie des Fleurs (Black and White)* between 1890 and 1895, a poignant etching that captures the delicate decay of flowers in exquisite monochrome. Roussel, influenced by James McNeill Whistler and the Aesthetic movement, favored intimate, atmospheric prints that emphasized beauty and subtlety over narrative drama. This work, housed in the Art of Chicago's Prints and department, exemplifies his mastery of tonal nuance on cream wove imitation Japanese paper—a nod to Japonisme, the era's fascination with Eastern aesthetics. Roussel em...
About the Artist
Theodore Roussel · 1847–1926
Theodore Casimir Roussel was born on 23 March 1847 in Lorient, Brittany, France, into a naval family. After serving in the Franco-Prussian War, he began painting in 1872 as an entirely self-taught artist, initially rendering scenes of daily life in the meticulous style of the Old Masters. In 1878, he settled permanently in London, where he immersed himself in the vibrant British art scene. There, ...