When Oscar Wilde was arrested in 1895 for gross indecency, the press reported that he was led away with a yellow book under his arm. Whilst this was intended as a reference to his most famous character Dorian Gray, journalists led the public to believe that the book was in fact “The Yellow Book”: a popular literary journal co-founded by Wilde’s friend and illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.
Beardsley’s name was immediately dragged into the scandal. Previously known as a respected illustrator, he was now seen as being part of the radical and decadent fringe, he was vilified in an oppressive Victorian society and his publisher was forced to fire him. The scandal meant that at the age of 22, Aubrey Beardsley had skyrocketed to international fame, both as a controversial public figure and a successful artist.
Aubrey Beardsley was born in Brighton in 1872. He was a sickly child and spent much of his early life inside due to a tuberculosis diagnosis he received aged seven. Beardsley became an observer of life outside, watching other children play instead of joining in. As his career as an illustrator began to evolve, Beardsley grew to know other influential artists, writers and academics. A network of high-profile friends and an impressive artistic talent meant that he quickly became a pivotal figure in the aesthetic movement, which was flourishing in the late 19th century.
The culture in all corners of Victorian society at the time was prudish. Fears around sex, gender and sexuality silenced discussions and those that challenged the established conventions often found themselves shamed and punished. But Beardsley had a fascination with the strange and shocking, incorporating subtle details of taboo in many of his most popular works. Full nude bodies, same-sex romance and androgyny are littered throughout his drawings.
A friendship between Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde developed throughout the young illustrator’s time in London and in 1893 Beardsley illustrated an edition of Salome: a play by Wilde that was deemed so indecent and sacrilegious that its performance was prohibited in England. One of the illustrations made for the play was titled The Peacock Skirt. Depicting two women in conversation, upon first glance the illustration looks like any other, however, in line with his commitment to disrupting the status quo, Beardsley added a pair of hairy, masculine knees to one of the women. In a time where wearing articles of the opposite gender’s clothing was a crime, the suggestion of cross-dressing in popular art was radical and even possibly dangerous for Beardsley.
Aubrey Beardsley’s life was cut tragically short when he died aged just 25 from tuberculosis he had suffered from as a child. He was buried in the South of France where he died in the company of his family. Whilst tastes in art change, Beardsley’s simple block lines and dedication to beauty meant that his work never fell out of fashion.
Now, testimony about Beardsley’s life along with dozens of his works has been collected to make up the largest showing of his works in 50 years. Available to view online via the Tate website, the exhibition has no closing date and its immaculate presentation of Beardsley’s life and work is fascinating.
Article by George Pizani
