English illustrator, caricaturist and author Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872- 1898) was born in Brighton, Menton, France, on August 21, 1872. A favorite of ‘Aestheticism’ and ‘Art Nouveau’, the accentuation of the erotic components of Aubrey is shown in many of his drawings. The most daring and daring representation could be seen in the famous illustrations of him Lysistrata and Salome, especially “The Peacock Skirt”.
Beardsley’s artistic styles were staggered, differentiated by their unique signatures, dedicated to each phase. For example, beginning by leaving unsigned works, the following six years bore his peculiar signatures, while in 1891 and 1892 he accused his work with his initials AVB Aubrey Beardsley of belonging to the group of artists called ‘Art Nouveau’. ‘Art Nouveau’ was a form of art and architecture that reached its popularity in the 20th century. The word ‘Art Nouveau’ is a French word meaning ‘New Art’. ‘Art Nouveau’ used to exhibit dark and evil images. However, the main theme of Aubrey Beardsley’s later works was erotic illustrations inspired by Japanese ‘shunga’ (techniques, positions, heterosexual or homosexual behavior and possibilities for love-making), history and mythology. Aubrey Beardsley did numerous illustrations for magazines and books. His most famous illustration was “The Peacock Skirt” for Oscar Wilde’s play ‘Salome’.
Oscar Wilde was a close and dear friend of Beardsley’s. Aubrey produced “The Peacock Skirt” in 1894. The play Salome was first published in French in 1893 and in English the following year, to be finally performed in Paris in 1896. In this illustration, the beautiful Salome, daughter of Herod and Herodias, tries to attract the Syrian captain of the guard. She uses her beauty for this act, so that the Captain can free the prisoner Juan Bautista. At the end of the play, Salome kisses John’s head. According to the famous myth, John the Baptist does not accept Salome’s love. Therefore, Salome uses her beauty and power to execute John the Baptist.
“The Peacock Skirt” was a black and white illustration, created with pen and ink. This illustration was inspired by one of James McNeil Whistler’s works ‘The Princess of the Country of Porcelain’. The black and white lines resembled the style commonly used by Japanese artists. In this illustration, Salome and the Syrian captain of the guard are displayed facing each other. The image on the right side is wearing a long, wide-sleeved robe. The image on the left side of the illustration has her hair adorned with legions of peacock feathers. He wears heavily embroidered garments on the back. The embroidery is literally limited to the lowest section of the clothing. On the far left, the pattern of a peacock is also manifested.
