The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-27
The adaiehita Daily gaee Saturday 7orno, april FL 1895

necessity seCand he accepted II re-
belliously. Five shilings q week was
what the architect who employed him
valued his services 81. and the Eve shil-
lings were part Of the poverty. II
was the work in the architects Office
which made Beardsley think seri-
ously of picture-making as a
career. The fantastic forms in
stone which are part of architectural
art pleased him. he forgave the T
square for the gargoyle's sake. But in
the meantime he was net permitted to
forget the T square. The architect
drilled accuracy into him mercilessly
and valuably. 1t is doubtless that
training to which Beard,iley is indebted
for his correct drawing. The architect
made a careful draughtsman of him.
He could not make him abandon his
love of strange and uncanny forms. but
he did force him into recognition OF the
value of exactness.
BY and By his wages were increased
from five shillings to seven shillings-
The two extra shillin0s were unexpec-
ted. Beardsley argued that they would
be useless in alleviating his poverty,
and that they might be useful in help
ing him learn to draw. So he went to
an artist of some note and told him
that he wanted to study.with him once
week. Il can pay You two shillings
for your trouble" said he quietly. The
artist tested him and saw that there
was something in him. He laughed at
the two shillings and offered to teach
the boy for nothing. But Beardsley
would not consent 10 that. II must
pay you my two shillings," he persist
ed. So that arrangement was made
Thus Bear6sley began to study art In
the conventional way. He drew from
casts and worked in life class and did
in all things as other art students did.
But one night after he had gone home
he sat idly down and made sketch. 1t
was not meant for anything IN particu-
lar. 1t has been said that it was meant
for Japanese prince, but it was not.
There was nothing Japanese about 1t.
except that IL was done quickly and
boldly, and that it was picture of
man in strange robes and big sword,
standing On curved line. A few strokes
of the pen had done it, and its back
ground was broken by queer blotch
of dead black, which represented moth
ing, but which was of unusual and
pleasing design The thing was entire
ly accidental, but it pleased Beardsley,
and he left it when he went to bed so
that he could see it as soon as he awoke
In the morning.
When morning came it still pleased
him. 1t surprised him as much as others
of his pictures have since surprised the
public. He tried the same plan with
other figures, and turned out many
which were absurd but attractive.
Then it was that he saw big thing.
Then it was that he perceived the en-
trance to the road to SUGGESTIVE road
which Is named Fad"
He took his new and strange pictures,
with their attractive, thick-lipped faces
and their daring but amazingly artistic
blacks and whites, to Oscar Wilde.
That erratic genius recognized at once
that here were pictures more abnormal
than his sentiments; stranger than his
most distorted notion; catcher than his
most empty phrase; more likely to be
speedily absorbed by novel-loving
public than the very silliest sentence
IN his wittiest and silliest philosophy. |
So Wilde gave Aubrey Beardsley "Sa- =,
lone" to illustrate. When 'Salome" |
was printed, with hundred or more Of |
Beardslev's fantastic pic:ures. Boards