Eros by Aubrey Beardsley

Eros by Aubrey Beardsley

c.early 1900's

Line-block print after an original pen-and-ink drawing by Aubrey Beardsley.

The main figure is an endogenous, winged Eros (the god of love) framed within a large heart. This reflects Beardsley's typical themes of sensuality and the blurring of gender boundaries. Originally intended as a frontispiece for a book of poems it showcases his signature “Japanesque” style utilizing flat silhouettes and elaborate decorative elements like the candelabras and vines.

Aubrey Beardsley (1872–1898) was one of the most innovative and controversial illustrators of the Art Nouveau era. Working primarily in black ink, he developed a highly distinctive style characterized by bold contrasts, sinuous lines, and imagery that blended the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. Influenced in part by Japanese woodblock prints, Beardsley's work challenged Victorian conventions surrounding morality, sexuality, and respectability. As a leading figure of both the Aesthetic and Decadent movements, he embraced the ideal of “art for art’s sake,” privileging beauty, fantasy, and sensual experience over moral instruction. His illustrations for books, magazines, and literary works helped redefine illustration as a sophisticated artistic medium and contributed significantly to the development of fin-de-siècle visual culture

Dimensions: H 10 1/2 x 8 W

Condition: In very good condition