Description
Book SynopsisWhen Aubrey Beardsley died in 1898, he was aged only 25. In his short but crowded career he had become one of the defining figures of the fin-de-siècle, a precocious draughtsman who redefined the limits of black-and-white art. His erotic, decadent illustrations for Oscar Wilde's Salome set the tone for his style: by turns shocking, facetious and cruel. Beloved by Burne-Jones, cursed by William Morris, he was the intimate of Wilde, the rival of Whistler, the friend of Beerbohm, Sickert, Ada Leverson and William Rothenstein. His deliberate manipulation of press and public, his awareness of both art and the market-place, made him one of the first truly modern artists.
Trade Review'Thoroughly researched, balanced ... evenly paced ... Sturgis writes with a poise and knowledge of the 1890s that inspire the reader with confidence.' Richard Dorment, Times Literary Supplement 'It is Sturgis's accomplishment to have created a fascinating narrative from a life which was short, feverish (in every sense) and packed with artistic achievement.' Michael Arditti, Daily Mail 'Immensely well-researched and sensitively written ... His is now the full biography of Beardsley that the general reader needs and will most enjoy.' Tom Rosenthal, Times Higher Educational Supplement.
