Digital Drawing: 2011

Sunday, November 6, 2011

AUBREY BEARDSLEY'S THE KISS

Several reasons why I appreciate Aubrey Beardsley’s artwork: strong composition, line quality of the ink drawings, and sometimes esoteric but also amusing exotic subject matter. As an art student, I am still exploring other styles and have yet to develop one that suits me the best. Beasley’s style is distinct. As a graphic design student with intent to have an illustrative portfolio, I am growing an appreciation for the Art Noveau period and artists like Klimt and Beardsley.

Aubrey Beardsley is an English Artist who is known for his illustrations in Salome, The Yellow Book and Le Morte D’Arther. Although his life was short lived, he established a reputation in short six years from 1882 to 1898. His high contrast black and white ink drawings resembles Japanese wood cut, and he was one of many leading artist of the Art Noveau period that took place in during the late 19th century. Beardsley died at the age of 25 by tuberculosis.

I choose Beardsley’s graphic ink drawings,The Kiss, which was designed for Oscar Wilde’s controversial play, Salome. Beasley illustrates the story of the Dances of the Seven Veils in which king Herod persuades his daughter to dance for prophet Jochanna. In return for her exotic dancing she demands the prophet’s head on a silver platter. In the drawing, Herod’s daughter leans in to kiss the decapitated head of Jochanna.

I believe that Beardsley’s The Kiss is successful because of its strong composition. The drawing is divided into thirds. Implied lines created by the blocks of black and white move diagonally upward thus creating movement with in the piece. The upper left corner contains a block of black, the middle is white and the bottom is black. He alternates the divisions from black to white.

Beardsley refrains from using gradient of value or color but instead he varies line thickness to create texture. For example—the bubbles—white outlines of circles in the black in the upper left corner create texture. In an even closer look some of the bubbles contain little hairs. Little hairs are repeated through out the piece and are seen on Herod’s daughter’s locks. Delicately drawn peacock feather repeats through out the piece too. There are finely detailed moments mixed in with large bold blocks of black or white shapes. Lines create movement and fluidity through out this piece. Lines from the female’s garment drape down—as if fabric—but swept up to connect with other blocks of shapes.

Conceptually, The Kiss is intriguing. The female—who appears to be floating in space—leans in for the kiss possesses a demoniac look, her hair stands on end. She slightly smiles devilishly as she leans in to kiss her victim. At a glance it appears that she embraces the head, but on a closer look, she appears to be “choking” the victim. Decapitated Jochanna’s face remains emotionless—not quite dead but not quite alive. Blood drips that drips from his head forms flower at the bottom of the composition. The floating female, the bubbles, the crazy hair that stands on end create an ethereal image.

References

www.beardsley.artpassion.net

www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/beardsley.html

www.jgape.org/essay/critic-henry-krehbiel-excordials-richard-strauss’s-salone_1907