Aubery Beardsly and His Influence Through My Art
Aubrey Beardsley The Climax 1893 (published 1907)
(Tate)
I’ve mentioned Aubrey Beardsley a few weeks ago in a different blog post when I talked about Henry Clarke’s stained glass work, so I'd focus on Beardsley properly this time, as he is favourite illustrator and has had a huge influence on the way I draw for years. It was his work that not only introduced me to Art Nouveau, but also inspired my love for strong black-and-white contrast, expressive ink and detailed lines,
Even today, Beardsley’s influence is easy to spot all across illustration and graphic design. His bold contrasts and flowing lines still appear in modern posters, fashion prints, tattoos, book covers and many more. Contemporary artists continue to draw inspiration from his ability to be different and his work encourages artists to push creative boundaries. (Beardsley et al.)
(Beardsley et al.)
For anyone who might not be as familiar with his work, here’s a quick summary! So Beardsley was a British illustrator working in the late 19th century and quickly became known for his unconventional artwork and detailed theatrical style of drawing. Although his career was cut very short due to his early death at the age of 25 from TB (Tate), he made an enormous impact on the art world and created well over 1,000 illustrations in just about five years before he passed, but it's thought maybe these themes were fuelled by that he knew he was going to die (Burdett). His artwork appeared in books and magazines of the time. He is linked to the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau movement.
Beardsley was known for breaking the rules as his work shocked many people because it challenged traditional ideas of what illustration was supposed to be in Victorian times. (Beardsley et al.) As you probably know Victorian Britain was outwardly conservative with strict ideas and his work featured themes around sexuality, gender, and power, which felt deeply unsettling and shocking to many audiences of this time. He showed attitude, humour, and subversion which wasn't shown much in the 1800s. (V&A)
(Beardsley et al.)
Photograph of the book "Aubrey Beardsley By Stephen Calloway and Caroline Corbeau-Parsons"
As shown in the photos above Beardsley’s style is incredibly distinctive. The extreme black-and-white contrast and use of positive and negative spaces makes his images feel dramatic while his line work, detailed patterns, and exaggeration feel unusual and unsettling but at the same time visually very beautiful. (Art UK) Rather than aiming for that academic realism which was popular at the time he tended to focuse on mood and symbolism through imaginative scenes. This approach makes his illustrations feel expressive and emotional rather than technical.
(Beardsley et al.)
Photograph of the book "Aubrey Beardsley By Stephen Calloway and Caroline Corbeau-Parsons"
The book I own is The Aubrey Beardsley from the Tate exhibition by Stephen Calloway and Caroline Corbeau-Parsons. It is an illustrated catalogue that accompanied a the Tate exhibition and does a great job of capturing Beardsley’s influence on late Victorian art and design. The book has 192 pages and around 225 of his drawings and prints, showing the work that made him recognisable and his impact within the Decadent movement. (Tate) The book is beautfully printed inside and I especially love the textured paperback cover and the gold detailing, which that detailing feels very fitting for Beardsley’s style.
The images I've added above highlight Beardsley’s contribution to The Yellow Book. This publication had quarterly issues running from the late 1890s and became a symbol of challenging Victorian attitudes towards sexuality and gender. (Brighton & Hove Museum) Beardsley was the art editor and the major illustrator for it from 1894–1895 before being dismissed following the Oscar Wilde trials. It has since become associated with queer cultural history not only because of Beardsley’s life and work, but also because of the publication’s links such as Oscar Wilde. This shows how illustration and identity came together in forming queer history, as well as being a groundbreaking publication for female writers. (Adams)
(V&A)
Drawing for illustration to 'Under the Hill' by Aubrey Beardsley, published in 'The Savoy', No. 1, London January 1896, p.157. (Victoria)
One of my favourite works by Beardsley is The Abbé, which is a perfect example of what I find so fascinating about his art! This illustration shows his absolutely incrediblely detailed, precise and confident use of line work with both delicate and deliberately excessive skills in ink. This creates a figure which has the feeling of something very theatrical and slightly unsettling, I genuinely just love that style. The composition feels very carefully balanced with there being so much detail going on with line work but it doesn't feel overwhelming either. The Abbé himself appears exaggerated; his costume and poised stance suggest a sort of elegance, but the slightly distorted proportions and intensity subtly contradict this. The piece reflects the more extensive Decadent movement and provocation, making it a striking example of his iconic rebelliousness. (Oberginetest)
(Beardsley et al.)
Beardsley’s influence within my work
When I look into my own work, I can clearly see Beardsley’s influence in the way I prioritise line over colour and the uses of contrast within negative space. His work made my own work dominated through black ink, his theatre compositions aligned with my photography background influenced the way I draw a lot.
In my own drawings I do like to use traditional methods such as dip ink and calligraphy pens as I find it easier to get that the textures and the controlled line work. I feel using black and white ink from pots gives a much deeper feeling and doesn't go grey like fine liners can.
In another blog post in a week or 2 I think I might touch up on some art movements and I visited an exhibition a few months ago on Pre Ralphalite artwork which I might re visit. There's some eras within art I know alot less about so I am going to definitely visit more places!
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Here's this weeks drawing!
Quick ink drawing replicating a painting from a national trust house
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References
Adams, Jad. “The History of the Yellow Book – the 19th Century Journal That Celebrated Women Writers.” The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2023, theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-yellow-book-the-19th-century-journal-that-celebrated-women-writers-207799.
“Aubrey Beardsley – Decadence & Desire · V&A.” Victoria and Albert Museum, V&A, 2020, www.vam.ac.uk/articles/aubrey-beardsley-decadence-desire?srsltid=AfmBOoqyx_wvJJiHRMKAiGR_2bg8ABtrMPorq383uda35fhZXX2sRFux#slideshow=115771&slide=0. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
“Aubrey Beardsley – Never Judge a Book by Its (Yellow) Cover.” Brighton & Hove Museums, brightonmuseums.org.uk/discovery/history-stories/aubrey-beardsley-never-judge-a-book-by-its-yellow-cover/.
“Beardsley, Aubrey, 1872–1898 | Art UK.” Artuk.org, 2026, artuk.org/discover/artists/beardsley-aubrey-18721898. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Beardsley, Aubrey, et al. Aubrey Beardsley. London, Tate Publishing, 2020.
Burdett, Emmeline. ““Macabre and Tragic”?” AB 2020: The Aubrey Beardsley Society, Sept. 2020, ab2020.org/macabre-and-tragic/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
oberginetest. “Aubrey Beardsley, the Author: “under the Hill” - Special Collections.” Special Collections, 16 Mar. 2019, collections.reading.ac.uk/special-collections/news-and-views/aubrey-beardsley-the-author-under-the-hill/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Tate. “Aubrey Beardsley.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/aubrey-beardsley.
“The Abbe, by Aubrey Beardsley. Great Britain, 1896 | V&a Images.” V & a Images, 2026, www.vandaimages.com/2006AT4958-The-Abbe-by-Aubrey-Beardsley-Great-Britain-1896.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Victoria. “The Abbé | Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent | V&a Explore the Collections.” Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections, 2024, collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O138422/the-abbe-drawing-beardsley-aubrey-vincent/the-abb%C3%A9-drawing-beardsley-aubrey-vincent/.
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