Studio: international art (13.1898)

Aubrey Beardsley

less of established precedents he did not revel in Mr. Pennell, who first called attention in these
license, but si t himself new ones, no less rigid ; and pages to Mr. Beardsley as an illustrator, spoke of his
within these he obeyed his own rules inflexibly. It pen-line, and did so (as reference to his article will
is true that the " growth " of foliage in his decorative show) with equal recognition of the other fine quali-
patterns is often to seek ; that anatomy to him was ties of his designs. Since then, this said "line "
a slave obeying his whim, not a fixed quantity seems to be the rope which critics out of their depth,
compelling obedience ; that his regard for the in an endeavour to follow his wayward fancy, cling
author's text was often a non-existent quality ; but, to in despair. Beardsley's nervous, yet equal, line
on the other hand, he never forgot that "picture" was in its way superb, but not more so than his
and " pattern " are distinct, that expression of idea sense of filling a space by masses, or than his novel
by pure "line" or by "tone" are diametrically artifice by dot, by white lines, and by pure sugges-
opposed, and can rarely, if ever, be mixed without tion. German art lives to model faces with delicate
disaster, and that nature-imitation in a conventional shading, until they resemble a careful pen study of
design is as intrusive as a Greek acanthus would a medal in bronze ; yet others—Beardsley for one—
be in a realistic study of a cabbage plot. Never by an outline alone can suggest the modelling. The
do you find that he escapes a difficulty by resort- tiny face in the Death of Pierrot is cadaverous and
ing to pure realism in the midst of a composition shrunken, with an amount of suggestion that seems
unrelated to nature. to give it the actual colour of death, yet is just a few

This aspect of his art is the one that deserves lines, as rigid and hard as if drawn by an architect's
special attention to-day. It is true that there are bow-pen. A " line " without a purpose is really no
other ways possible of the wholly arbitrary use of great achievement, nor its charm, however accom-
pure black upon pure white
to represent that which, in
Nature, is always colour
against colour. By vary-
ing breadth of line (as in
steel engraving) modelling
may be suggested in a way
imitative of actual bas-
relief ; by washes of black,
shading imperceptibly to
the faintest grey, portraiture
of people or of things can
be carried nearer to their
resemblance. But all these

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are varying degrees of un- , '''^^^^^^^^^S^^^^l^i f^mfM^M ■

truth ; imitative work needs
colour. Having accepted

the theory of a bare out- ; -v.'y / y~

line for the resemblance of
a solid object, whether you
leave it thus, or by shading
and imitation of texture
bring it a step nearer, is
of slight importance. But /
whatever substitute for
photographic imitation you
employ the method should
be restrained to the same
convention, whether it be
outline, silhouette, or
stippled finish like an old
South. Kensington study prom a drawing by aubrry braroslky

from the antique. [By permission of Frederick H. Evans, Esq.)

255

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