Title page of Grey Ross 

Aubrey Beardsley made this title page for Grey Ross using pen and ink, in England, at the end of the 19th century. Beardsley was one of the leading artists in the Aesthetic movement that arose in reaction to the industrial revolution. The movement advocated that art should be valued for its beauty alone, and not serve a social or moral purpose. But it also sought to critique the stuffiness of Victorian society. Here, Beardsley uses organic forms, black and white, and asymmetry. Notice the stylized trees, flowing lines, and decorative patterns, typical of art nouveau. It’s an art style that promoted a vision of beauty that existed outside the mainstream academic institutions and social mores. To understand Beardsley fully, we look to cultural documents like literary magazines, to find out how he and other artists challenged the art establishment and its social assumptions. Ultimately, art is shaped by—and comments on—the world around it.