Best Works of Aubrey Beardsley (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Graphic Design
Best Works of Aubrey Beardsley (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) Details
From the Back Cover In the brief span of his life and career, Aubrey Beardsley (1872–98) galvanized public attention in 1890s London with his exotic renderings of subjects, which often projected the sensual and the grotesque. This splendid volume brings together the best of Beardsley's work—a rich selection ranging from illustrations for Laclos's Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Balzac's La Comédie Humaine to magazine cover designs, book plate silhouettes, title-page ornaments, and delightful mini-portraits of major composers. Also included are two photographs of the artist, consisting of private portrait studies by Frederick H. Evans.Over 180 beautifully reproduced black-and-white plates capture the uniqueness of Beardsley's vision and reveal the seductive power of his art. Among the illustrations are brilliantly conceived vignettes from Le Morte D'arthur, Venus and Tannhäuser, Salome, and Lucian's True History as well as enchanting creations for The Yellow Book (an influential British arts quarterly), and much more.Characterized by bold black masses, elongated shapes, and sensually provocative figures, these works are the product of a remarkable individual style that transformed the art of illustration. Reproduced here in an inexpensive high-quality format, they are certain to thrill not only Beardsley enthusiasts but anyone interested in the early years of modern graphic art.Dover (1990) original publication. Read more
Reviews
This book is NOT the best of Aubrey Beardsley. Many of the illustrations are "expurgated" which mean censored. Dover Publications has deleted key components (shame on those involved) of the illustrations and Beardsley's meaning and artist expression. Genitals, which are on the originals, have been removed from his works thereby altering the actual scene. Beardsley himself said "I have one aim - the grotesque." and "If I am not grotesque I am nothing." He would have been insulted by this publication. This makes this representation of his work a travesty and not representational. Not recommended.
