Page 28 - The Studio First Edition - April 1893

A New Illustrator : Aubrey Beardsley

attention to it that this detracts
from the otherwise great merit of
his designs. However, in a series
of portraits which I have seen, and
in designs which he himself calls
Japanesques, this type scarcely oc-
curs at all. It is far more amusing
to dwell upon one's pleasure in a
man's work than upon what may
seem its weaknesses, and though
he has allowed recently a number
of drawings to be printed elsewhere
which are not worthy to be signed
by him, some of the little head-
pieces, notably one of men in
armour, seem to me, in execution
as well as design, quite equal to
the best fifteenth-century work.
Then, too, his little landscapes are
altogether delightful : though they
are conventional in the right sense,
they are not imitations. But most
interesting of all is his use of the
single line, with which he weaves
his drawings into an harmonious
whole, joining extremes and recon-
ciling what might be oppositions—
leading, but not forcing, you pro-
perly to regard the concentration of
his motive. In his blacks, too, he
has obtained a singularly interesting
quality, and always disposes them
so as to make a very perfect
arabesque. Certainly, with the
comparatively small amount of
work which Mr. Beardsley has pro-
duced, he has managed to appeal
to artists—and .what more could he
wish ?
JOSEPH PENNELL.
The illustrations from Mr. Beards-
ley's work in this number are : Sa-
lome, from the original belonging
to the artist, La Cigale, Les Reve-
nants de Musique, the property of
THE STUDIO ; Siegfried, from the
original drawing belonging to Mr.
Edward Burne Jones ; the frieze on
page 10, from a pen-and-ink design,
kindly lent by Mr. Robert Ross ;
and four blocks from Messrs. J. M.
Dent & Co.'s new illustrated edition
of Malory's " Morte d'Arthur," to be
published in half-crown monthly
parts, beginning in June next.
FROM AN ORIGINAL DRAWING IN LINE AND WASH BY AUBREY BEARDSLEY