Decadent art motion appeared in the nineteenth century. Its chief construct was to stress the value of aesthetics over moral. ‘Artistic degeneracy appears merely with the disproofs, bottlenecks, or exhaustion of the originative forces which are objectified in the universe of art ‘ . ( Thompson, Vazquez, 1990:259 ) From negative point of position it can be regarded as unsuccessful efforts to get away the human status by agencies of feigning and presenting, behaviour, attitudes which show a autumn in criterions, particularly moral 1s, and an involvement in pleasance and enjoyment instead than more serious things. On the other manus, the Decadent art can be regarded as sophisticated, visually strong and graceful. Its chief end was to picture beauty, is n’t that what art is about? It has appeared to delight the oculus and imaginativeness of human. So, due to that fact, Decadence can be regarded as pure art. It had tonss of outstanding representatives, but one of the most celebrated and great was Aubrey Beardsley. ‘It is important that, although Beardsley has had legion impersonators on both sides of the Atlantic, in his ain peculiar line of work he has remained without a challenger. He is non merely the discoverer, but par excellence the maestro, of his methods. ‘ ( Lane, 1899:4 )

Beardsley was born in England, Brighton August 24, 1872. As a immature male child, Beardsley was considered to be a singular endowment in assorted humanistic disciplines including music, composing, play and Art. However, he is largely known for his illustrations, being born into a in-between category household with fiscal troubles his male parent, who has lost his familial luck, provided some income by working irregularly at the London breweries, while his female parent give piano lessons, every bit good as giving herself to her boy ‘s instruction and delicate wellness status, who ‘s firs TB onslaught began at the age of 9 and finally became the cause of his decease. When in 1882 Beardsley attended the Brighton Grammar school, he produced his first published work “ The Valiant, ” a verse form in the Past and Present, June 1885 issue magazine. During the period he has spent in school he so produced a series of studies, “ The Jubilee Cricket Analysis, ” along with the plan book illustrations for “ The Pay of the Pied Piper, ” for the School ‘s 1888 Christmas amusement. At the age of 16 Beardsley was sent to work as a clerk for Insurance Company in London, where in 1889 his prose peace “ Story of a Confession Album ” was published in Tlt Bits publication. Continuing to endeavor in to the art universe, by 1891 Beardsley met a painter and medieval-illustrator Edward Burne-Jones, who encouraged him to analyze in the Westminster School of Art, where he had received his lone formal instruction.

His professional calling as a superb illustrator and draftsman took its first rise in 1893 when he receives his first work on disturbance exemplifying “ Le Morte d’Arthur ” ( fig 2 ) for J. M. Dent, it consisted of 300 different illustrations with five 100s and 48 sketchs and cosmetic boundary lines, with it an advanced manner and first-class executing, an impressive achievement for a 20 twelvemonth old male child. Much of his work at the clip was published in an illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art, ” The Studio ” , a periodical that spread his manner, London 1893-1964. ‘It is traveling over old land to associate how Mr. Joseph Pennell, whose finds of latent art in England are amongst the victory of critical geographic expedition, besides discovered Beardsley, or at least gave him his first public notice, a glowing eulogium in the gap figure of The Studio ( April 1893 ) , which was accompanied by re-productions of “ The Birthday of Madame Cigale, ” the “ Revenants de la Musique, ” “ Siegfried, ” “ Salome with John the Baptist ‘s Head, ” and some drawings done for the “ Morte d’Arthur. ‘ ( Lane,1899:5 ) .

Around the same clip Beardsley had besides met with one of the most disgraceful figure of his clip Oscar Wild, whose drama “ Salome ” ( fig 3 ) was translated from its original in Gallic, and illustrated by a immature creative person, admired by Wild from his old work and commissioned to bring forth the English edition in 1894. This confederation was to guarantee his success every bit good as his autumn from the favour of the populace, after the strong belief and test of Oscar Wild for Sadomy in 1895 ; Beardsley was widely criticized for his titillating character of work and was accused of the same discourtesies. Even though Oscar Wild had nil to make with production of “ The Yellow book ” ( fig 4 ) , Beardsley was dismissed from his place as an art editor in the quarterly issue of art and literature, ‘Times described the drawings as “ unintelligible for the most portion and, so long as they are unintelligible, abhorrent. ‘ ( Miriam J, 1981: 84 ) . ‘Like most creative persons who have thought much of popularity he had an huge disdain for the populace ; and the desire to kick that populace into esteem, and so to kick it for look up toing the incorrect thing or non cognizing why it was look up toing, led him into many of his most hideous practical gags of the pen. ‘ ( Symons, 2010 ) . The critics on the other manus, considered his work to be a deceit of celebrated figures and monstrous illustrations. Despite the dirt, Beardsley has found his appropriate originative environment, when he was approached by Leonard Smithers ( known for his adult and titillating publications ) fall ining the freshly founded staff of the “ The Savoy ” ( fig 5 ) , with Arthur Symons as the editor. With this publication Beardsley had produce his version of the Tannhauser legend “ Under the Hill ” and “ The Ballad of a Barber ” , after the publication closed in December 1896, he continued to exemplify other writers ‘ plants for Smithers among which where the “ Pope ‘s The Rape of the Lock ” , and “ The Lysistrata ” , every bit good as Beardsley ‘s ‘ ain first and lone aggregation of work “ A Book of Fifty Drawings ” . Staying a workaholic till the terminal of his yearss Beardsley strived for success at the same clip ‘Saying to himself, “ I can make what I like ; there is nil I could non make if I chose to, if I chose to take the problem ; but why should I offer difficult gold when an I.O.U. will be merely the same? I can pay up whenever the money is truly wanted, ” he allowed himself to be content with what he knew would galvanize, making it with infinite strivings, to his ain head scrupulously, but making it with that deficiency of fear for great work which is one of the most sterilizing features of the present twenty-four hours. ( Symons, 2010 ) .

So, to sum it all up, Beardsley was an outstanding representative of effete art motion, who was unfeignedly devoted to its chief doctrine, that aesthetics is more of import than moral, irrespective of terrible review and misinterpretation from society. ‘The curving, sinuate line, the antic hyperbole of natural signifiers, and the accent on the dramatic potency of black and white were subsequently to go integrated into the linguistic communication of the international Art Nouveau style. ‘ ( Neil. Muireadhaigh, 2008 ) In such a short life clip Aubrey Beardsley has gone from his first published work, in a school magazine to exemplifying books for some of the universe ‘s most celebrated writers. In such a short period of clip he managed to make such a broad scope of extremely artistic and sophisticated plant which reflected the really best of decadent doctrine and can be regarded as art chef-d’oeuvres. ‘As Arthur Symons wrote after his decease at the age of 26 ” ‘

He had the fatal velocity of those who are to decease immature. ‘ ( Susan, 1999 ) .