Aubrey Beardlsey was born on 21st August 1872 in Brighton. He was an illustrator and author, highly prolific in his short life. He contracted TB as a child and knew his time was short. He died at the age of just 25 in France, leaving behind an amazing array of artwork.
Bearsley was part of the aesthetic movement which included Oscar Wilde and was influenced by the pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones, whom he met. He was a controversial figure of the art-nouveau era with his dark, perverse and erotic drawings in pen and ink. He illustrated many books (Le Morte d’Arthur, The Rape of Lock and Wilde’s Salome) and posters. Having been sacked from one publication he started his own, The Yellow Book.
I first came across Bearsley when I was in my twenties and I ventured into drawing with ink. A friend showed me her own drawings and I loved the medium. I borrowed a book about Bearsdsey from the library and copied a few of his drawings, along with some Japanese ink drawings (which also influenced Beardsley). Many years later I attended a stunning exhibition of his work and bought the exhibition guide.
This exhibition closed as lockdown came and I wasn’t sure whether it would ever open again, but it did, and I went along last week. Many of the illustrations I had seen before, but I’d forgotten just how prolific his work was. I guess if you know your life is going to be short, you go for it!
My only grump about the exhibition was the number of people. I did not feel comfortable being in such close proximity to others. People were queuing to see prints, with people spending a long time in front of one, and that caused the room to overfil. There seemed to be no social distancing and no gallery staff in rooms. The only thing managed was the numbers entering the exhibition when we were told the first room was smaller and may seem more crowded. This was a far cry from the Royal Academy where I’d been a couple of weeks earlier. The Tate had only opened that week, so maybe things will improve, but as things were, it spoilt my day and I didn’t spend as long inside as might have otherwise. If there were reduced numbers it didn’t feel like it. It felt like a normal exhibition.
Thankfully, I have seen most of the art work before, and I had a reduced ticket. If I’d paid full price I wouldn’t have been happy ayt all. I was glad to get outside again and didn’t even visit the shop!
Beardsley influenced many to come – here are some LP covers
My London+ 