Aubrey Beardsley
Decadence and Desire
WW Norton · Print & ebook · April 28, 2020
A beautiful and informative gift book devoted to the work of Aubrey Beardsley, one of the defining artists of the Art Nouveau style.
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- Who it’s for
- Jan Marsh introduces Beardsley's drawings and prints, with their black ink and flowing lines.
- Themes
- Art Nouveau illustration, Erotically charged imagery, Satire of decadent mores
- Genres
- Artist Monographs, Artists' Lives, Printmaking
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A beautiful and informative gift book devoted to the work of Aubrey Beardsley, one of the defining artists of the Art Nouveau style. Aubrey Beardsley (1872–1898) was only twenty-five when he died from tuberculosis, but in his short life he established a reputation as one of the most accomplished—and controversial—illustrators of his day.
Continue reading
Astonishingly, all his work was created in the course of only six years, yet his contribution to the visual language of Art Nouveau was profound; today, his work is instantly recognizable for its use of black ink and flowing lines on white paper, along with its erotically charged subject matter. Not all his work was sexually provocative—much was satirical, attacking the decadent mores of the time—but some was and remains shocking, taking its stylistic inspiration from Japanese shunga and Greek vase painting and its thematic inspiration from mythology, history, poetry, and drama. This beautifully designed, accessibly priced book offers a wealth of illustrations by Beardsley, and introduces his exquisitely crafted drawings and prints to a new audience. Including a fascinating text by Jan Marsh, Aubrey Beardsley brings together a carefully curated selection of works from Beardsley’s tragically short but highly productive life.
Black Ink, Flowing Lines
Jan Marsh introduces Beardsley's drawings and prints, with their black ink and flowing lines.
Come here for
- Beardsley’s drawings and prints
- Satire alongside erotically charged imagery
Expect
- Black ink and flowing lines on white paper
- Imagery shaped by Japanese shunga and Greek vase painting
Where it sits
| Artist Monographs | 90% |
|---|---|
| Artists' Lives | 55% |
| Printmaking | 28% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Permanent Collections
- Modern Art History (to 1945)
- Studying Artists
- Authors
- Jan Marsh
- Publisher
- WW Norton
- Published
- April 28, 2020
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Art Nouveau illustration · Erotically charged imagery · Satire of decadent mores
- Reading lane
- Permanent Collections