Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-12
An AUBREY BEARDSLEY SHOW
Work Of the Illustrators Exhibited in
London.
WORK OF SOME NEW ARTISTS
Influence OF B~eardsiey's Dravvins
Demonstrated at aHi Gallery
Modern Illustrations I'm
Black and white.

LONDON. Sept. u-Much has been writ
ten about the late Aubrey BeardsIey; his
work hss been so often discussed that any
thing said about Il must be IN some meas
ure Federation. Work 90 unexpected. 50
original, aroused violent partisanship and
equally violent -antagonism when first II
appeared; and even now. when the artist
has been dead twelve years, the balance
Of criticism has altered little. though each
side has tempered its Judgment.
II is the matter rather than the manner
of Bearsley's work that has been a stumb-
ling block TO many. for there never has
been a dissentient voice when the workman
ship Of II Is concerned. Every one ad-
mits the beauty Of the long, sweeping lines,
carried TO their Inevitable end with deli
oaey and firmness. the perfect harmony
of each design and the admirable way II
fills the allotted space, and the wealth Of
Invention in all details; all must agree
That never before has black and white
drawing reached such a stage Of perfec-
ton.
But the most ardent admirers have the
air OF special pleading when they explain
that Beardsley's designs must be judged
Independently. as they were conceived.
without any view Of interpreting or even
Illustrating a particular aIthOr-referring
presumably 10 the pictures TOT Obchf
wfde's 'salome"-and that It Is really
only the presence or absence OF beauty in
his drawing and his wonderful powers of
technique that need trouble his admirers
or detractors. That many Of his drawings
were originally suppressed and are now
freely shown and circulated Is an eloquent
argument for either side.
Betrdsley's work is usually morbid and
always cynical; he used the grotesque tc
express his views Of life. But why apollo
gize for him on that account7 He had g
deep insight and expressed them in a way
that few people nave the courage to do
His drawings are not for the very young
one would no more use them to illustrate
nursery rhymes than one would bring w
a child on French novels and marroni
glaces.
Though the fame Of Aubrey BeardsleS
has spread all over the world. though hii
work has influenced that of all other ma
lions, he will never be In the ordinar,
sense Of the word popular. As has jus.
been said. his work is morbid and cynical
two characteristics which do not appeal t
the general public, which understand
horseplay better than delicate satire and
therefore,, prefers II.
Most people, in England, at least, ar,
more affected by the story that a DRAWN,
tells than the way in which it is executed
Beardsley's work Is better understood IL
France, II is more In sympathy with French
art, and America and Germany have shown
their appreciation by buying 1t. The por
trait OF Mrs. Patrick Campbell, for in
stance, occupies a place Of honor in tn,
Berlin National gallery, while the Englisl
National gallery does not possess a singh
example Of Beardsley's work.
1t is a moot point whether an artists
life should be taken into consideration IL
estimating his work. II Beardsley Is &C
cused Of decadence and unhealthfulness IL
the way in which he insisted on the sen
sual side of life It must be remembers
thai he was suffering, practically dying Of
consumption, during the few short years
he died when he was Sin which he pro
duced the astonishing number Of nearly
100 drawings.
Those may roughly be divided into foui
periods. the first when he was absorbed
by medieval traditions, the illustration
for the "Morte d'Arthur," produced durinl
the time, showing an affinity for the worl
of Burne-Jones; the second when he wa
dominated by eighteenth century FrencI
art, wnen he did the drawings for tn
"Rtpu ui the Lock" Then came a JAP
entsque period, and lastly one when h
hegan TO use wash in conjunction with lin
work. These are mostly black and whits
but there exists a few examples of thi
last style when he introduced color, tint
laid on fiat without any modelling.
The other exhibitors are somewhat over
shadow ed by Beardsley's genius, and MOI
Of them show traces of his influences 1
their work, either in feeling or execution
In both these qualities s, H. Slime az
proaches him most nearly. The nine Il
Illustrations TO the books Of Lord Dur
sany. THE Gods of Pegana" and "rh
Sword Of veteran show fertility OF In
venion and q capacity for making tn
grotesque impressive. His technique
admirable, too. One OF the drawings, d.
pieting a warrior standing in the shado'