Decadence Collection (#4)

Bar at Folies Bergere, 1881. Artist: Edouard Manet
Bar at Folies Bergere, 1881. A Bar at the Folies Bergere nightclub in Paris, France

Abd-ul-Aziz, Sultan of Turkey from 1861, 1869. Artist: James Tissot
Abd-ul-Aziz, Sultan of Turkey from 1861, 1869. At first liberal and westernising, Abd-ul-Aziz (1830-1876) became autocratic

Paul Verlaine as Decadence, c1880s. Artist: Emile Cohl
Paul Verlaine as Decadence, c1880s. Caricature of French poet Paul Marie Verlaine (1844-1896), published in Les Hommes d Aujourd hui, (The Men of Today)

Vanderbilt House, 5th Avenue, New York
Located on the corner of 5th avenue and 57th street, New York city, Cornelius Vanderbilt II house was built in 1883. Its ground floor doubled as a drawing room

View from Vanderbilt, 5th Avenue, New York
Located on the corner of 5th avenue and 57th street, New York city, Cornelius Vanderbilt II house was built in 1883. Its ground floor doubled as a drawing room

A Wealth of Treasure
BAL82737 A Wealth of Treasure by Della Rocca, (19th century); 72.4x91.4 cm; Private Collection; Italian, out of copyright

Berlin Street Scene, 1913 (oil on canvas)
BAL41032 Berlin Street Scene, 1913 (oil on canvas) by Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig (1880-1938); 121x95 cm; Neue Galerie, New York

Les Splendeurs de la Republique ( The Splendours of the Republic )
XIR365013 Les Splendeurs de la Republique ( The Splendours of the Republic ), 1872 (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

Bedroom of Tsar Alexander I in the Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, 1855 (w / c
BAL341693 Bedroom of Tsar Alexander I in the Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, 1855 (w/c & white colour on paper) by Premazzi

Under the Red Light, c. 1910 (oil on canvas)
BAL244825 Under the Red Light, c.1910 (oil on canvas) by Popov, Lukjan Vasilievich (1873-1914); 102x129 cm; Regional Art Museum, Orenburg; Russian, out of copyright

The Corruption of the World Before the Flood, 1619 (oil on canvas)
XIR218913 The Corruption of the World Before the Flood, 1619 (oil on canvas) by Cornelisz. van Haarlem, Cornelis (1562-1638); Musee de la Chartreuse, Douai

The King is Drinking (oil on canvas)
XIR154134 The King is Drinking (oil on canvas) by Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678); Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tournai, Belgium; Flemish, out of copyright

The Life of Buckingham, 1853-55 (oil on canvas) (see 129316 for pair)
XYC129317 The Life of Buckingham, 1853-55 (oil on canvas) (see 129316 for pair) by Egg, Augustus Leopold (1816-c.1863); 74.9x91.4 cm; Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection

Woman in evening dress smoking cigarette (B&W), portrait

Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) French poet, as Decadence. Cartoon by Emile Cohl (1857-1938), 1880

Caricature of Paul Verlaine, French poet
Paul Verlaine, French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. Seen here in a caricature, with the word Anarchy written across his forehead, playing a lyre, with an arrow stuck through a heart

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"Decadence: A Journey through Art and Literature" Step into the realm of decadence, where the boundaries of morality blur and indulgence reigns supreme. Like Atlantis, a mythical city lost in time, this concept has fascinated artists and writers throughout history. Charles Baudelaire, the renowned French poet and essayist, delved deep into the depths of decadence. In his work "The Romans of the Decadence, " artist Thomas Couture captured their opulent lifestyle with vivid strokes on canvas. From banquets in Nero's palace to Kiki of Montparnasse reveling in a Paris club, these scenes depict excesses that both enthrall and repulse. Even Marquis de Sade dared to explore this forbidden territory in his controversial novel "La nouvelle Justine. " Gustave Doré's illustrations for Pierre Théophile Gautier's "Le Capitaine Fracasse" further exemplify how Romanticism embraced themes of debauchery. As we gaze upon these artworks, we witness an unsettling truth – that humanity has always been drawn towards its own destruction. The oil painting titled "The Destroying Angel and Daemons of Evil Interrupting the Orgies" serves as a haunting reminder that such vices have consequences. Montesquieu once said that luxury corrupts society from within. And indeed, it is within our nature to be seduced by extravagance while simultaneously being repelled by its consequences. This dichotomy is beautifully portrayed in Divan Japonais lithograph from 1892-93. Decadence may be seen as a reflection of human desires unbound by societal norms; it challenges us to question our own limits. It invites us to confront our darkest impulses while simultaneously captivating us with its allure.