Aubrey Beardsley

Ross, Robert Baldwin, 1869-1918Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 125K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Aubrey Beardsley by Robert Baldwin RossAuthor: Ross, Robert Baldwin, 1869-1918,Language: English, Class: NC: Fine Arts: Drawing, Design, Illustration, Release Date: Aug 4, 2010

Editor's review

This book is Robert Baldwin Ross's biographical and critical study of the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley, a text in the fine arts category of Project Gutenberg's free public-domain ebooks. Its value lies not in plate reproductions but in a contemporary friend's account of Beardsley's brief, brilliant career and in its evocation of the fin-de-siècle British Aesthetic movement and the Yellow Book circle. The prose has the flavor of late-Victorian occasional essays, mixing reminiscence and commentary, and offers background for understanding the formation of Beardsley's black-and-white linear style. Note that this is the original English text, published long ago; its judgments and factual details should be read alongside later scholarship. Suitable as supplementary material for readers of art history and illustration history, and for casual reading by those interested in late-nineteenth-century British literary and artistic currents; those expecting high-resolution plates or a systematic catalogue will be disappointed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Art historians studying late-nineteenth-century British illustration and the Aesthetic movement
Art lovers who want to learn about Beardsley's life and creative circle
Illustration students needing an English public-domain text for supplementary reference
Readers interested in the literary and artistic circles of the Yellow Book era

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking high-resolution plates or a complete picture album
Researchers needing systematic scholarly annotation and a review of the latest research
Beginners unaccustomed to the style of late-Victorian English essays

Reading tips

Look through representative works by Beardsley before reading, so you can match the text's descriptions to images.
Keep pen and paper to note names and periodical titles, and check encyclopedias to clarify relationships.
Read alongside later Beardsley scholarship, distinguishing a friend's reminiscence from documented fact.
Read the English in chapters; when a sentence is long, first identify the main subject and event.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book include plates of Beardsley's illustrations?

From the available information, this is a public-domain text book focused on Ross's commentary and reminiscence, not a plate album. Prepare a separate collection of Beardsley's works for comparison so you do not mistake the text's descriptions for the images themselves.

Why is the author Ross rather than Beardsley himself?

This is Robert Baldwin Ross's biographical text about Beardsley; Ross was close to Beardsley, so it offers a contemporary observer's perspective. It is reminiscence and commentary, not the artist's own account.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

This is the original English text, written in a late-Victorian essay style with many long sentences. Readers with limited English may first read a Chinese biography of Beardsley or an introduction to a picture album, then return to the original, or read it slowly chapter by chapter with a dictionary.

Comments

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About the author

Ross, Robert Baldwin, 1869-1918 Author

Robert Baldwin Ross (1869–1918) was an English writer closely associated with the Aesthetic movement and the social circle around Oscar Wilde. Two of his works are included here: Aubrey Beardsley and Masques & Phases. Aubrey Beardsley concerns the life and art of the English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley and stands as one of the early biographical texts on this Aesthetic illustrator; Masques & Phases is a collection of essays, its title suggesting masks and phases, dealing chiefly with literary and artistic figures. Both books focus on late nineteenth-century British literary and artistic personalities, written in the form of essays and biography, with careful observation and an unhurried narrative tone that carries a distinct Aesthetic sensibility and the mark of its era. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, so he is best read through his works rather than inferred from this note.