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July 1, 2010 | by Marie-Caroline Moir

Forever Young

I’ve been infatuated with Aubrey Beardsley for years. If his mischievous illustrations weren’t captivating enough, there’s the heartbreaking charm of the artist himself. Before he succumbed to tuberculosis at twenty-six, Beardsley, with no formal art training, captivated and prickled the Victorian public by fusing the gorgeous with the grotesque and the decorative with the naturalistic. Inspired by Beardsley’s persona, forever preserved in the summer of his youth, my advice this July is to ditch practicality and indulge in some slightly naughty local goods – as if they were your last.

 

The Early Work of
Aubrey Beardsley,
Dover Publications, 1967

Find similar editions at Arundel Books (1001 First Ave.). All quotations on this page from H. C. Marillier’s introduction to the original edition of the book, written in 1899.

 

“[H]e was a pattern
of moral decorum, warped only into such eccentricities as working by candle-light, with the shutters closed, at drawings of dubious propriety.”

Roost Bronze Antler Candlestick, $50, Velocity Art and Design
(251 Yale Ave. N.)

 

 

“Beardsley ... was a model of daintiness in dress.”

Dion silk pocket square, $45, Leroux (3220 W. McGraw St.)

 

“He selected the subjects which amused his fancy, or tickled his instinct
for gaminerie.”

Peacock quills, $2, Jo-Ann Fabric (2217 NW 57th St.); see ehow.com for a guide to making your own quill pens

 

“The decorative effect was all he cared for,
and, if the public failed to appreciate the humour ... so much the worse for them.”

Elsa Trick-Heeled Pumps in leather and Lucite, $588, Totokaelo
(913 Western Ave.)

 

“[H]is mind was still that of the schoolboy playing at being vicious, and rather attracted by naughtiness.”

Quorra Harness in black leather with credit card pockets, $365, Clutch
(1212 4th Ave.)

 

“In his treatment of nature he is as formal as any missal scribe.”

Scorpion and spider paperweight, $15, Nature Pavilion (naturepavilion.com)

 

 

“He had the fatal speed
of those who are to
die young.”

Estée Lauder Youth-Dew eau de parfum in classic bottle, $28, Nordstrom
(500 Pine St.)

 

 

 

“Extravagantly praised and extravagantly hated, he worked in an atmosphere of exotic stimulus.”

Potted phalaenopsis orchid, $65,
Terra Bella Flowers and Mercantile (8417 Greenwood Ave. N.)

 

“How, except by a freak of nature, so marvellous an intuition and so perfect a mastery of style ever fell to the lot of an untrained boyish hand, we can
never tell.”

Magnolia-etched 18-karat-gold vermeil Wolfette ring, $315, Kimberly Baker Jewelry (617 N. 36th St.)

 
Art, Books & Talks, Style