Aubrey Beardsley: A Biography - Hardcover

Sturgis, Matthew; Beardsley, Aubrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 087951910X ISBN 13: 9780879519100

Publisher: Overlook Pr, 1999

Synopsis

Chronicles the brief life of the renowned erotic artist, from his most provocative works through his impact on black-and-white art, describing his relationships with such figures as Oscar Wilde and his manipulation of the press and public. 10,000 first printing.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

When Aubrey Beardsley died a century ago(in March 1898), he was not yet twenty-six. In his brief but crowded career he had become one of the defining figures of the '’fin-de-siecle' ' – a precocious draughtsman who redefined the limits of black-and-white art. His erotic, decadent illustrations for Oscar Wilde's 'Salome' set the tone of his style:
by turns shocking, facetious and cruel.

In this impressively researched and lucidly written new biography Matthew Sturgis has uncovered much fresh material and used many previously untapped sources to produce a compelling account of Beardsley's life – his shabby genteel childhood in Brighton and London, his close relationship with his sister Mabel, his inspiring school days, his miserable year in a London insurance office, his first discovery by Edward Burne-Jones, his sudden rise to fame as co-editor of both 'The Yellow Book' and 'The Savoy', his spectacular fall from grace in the wake of the Oscar Wilde scandal, and his anguished period of declining health.

Brilliant, witty and wilfully perverse, Beardsley achieved a fame that polarised Victorian opinion while forging a unique position for himself amongst the demands and attractions of the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionists, Symbolists, literary Decedents and the applied arts movement. Beloved by Burne-Jones, cursed by William Morris, he was the intimate of Wilde, the rival of Whistler, the friend of Beerbohm, Sickert, Ada Leverson and William Rothenstein.

With his infamous reputation, short tragic life and instantly recognisable style, Beardsley is one of the quintessential figures of the Modern Age. He created much that was enduring, yet – as the author shows – perhaps his greatest creation was himself. His deliberate manipulation of press and public, his awareness of both art and the market-place, made him one of the first truly modern artists.

About the Author:

Matthew Sturgis read history at Oxford, worked for four years in publishing, and since then has made his living by writing — art criticism for Harpers & Queen, travel pieces for the Sunday Telegraph, and book reviews for the Independent. His cartoons have been published in the Oldie and the Daily Mail. His previous book, PASSIONATE ATTITUDES: THE ENGLISH DECADENCE OF THE 1890s, was published in 1995 by Macmillan.

About this edition

• Publisher: Overlook Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 087951910X
• ISBN 13: 9780879519100
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 404