Fragment of "L'Education Sentimentale" 1894

Editor: This is Aubrey Beardsley's "Fragment of 'L'Education Sentimentale,'" housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The figure seems to be consumed by the text in her hands. What strikes you most about the composition? Curator: The tension between line and form. Notice the sinuous curves of the hat feathers contrasted with the blocky mass of the figure's dress. How does this deliberate dissonance affect your reading of the work? Editor: It definitely creates an unsettling feeling. It's like the elegance of the hat is mocking the figure's form. Curator: Precisely. Beardsley manipulates these formal elements to create a visually complex and psychologically charged image. It encourages a deeper consideration of societal appearances versus inner realities. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered, thank you.