Self-portait 

Curator: Here we have Aubrey Vincent Beardsley’s self-portrait, executed in ink using the line drawing technique synonymous with his distinctive Art Nouveau style. Editor: There's an immediate air of decadence about it, wouldn't you agree? It’s like looking at a shadow emerging from the fin-de-siècle. The monochrome adds to the sense of foreboding, and that slight curl of smoke adds such languor. Curator: The dynamism lies precisely in how Beardsley employed lines of varying thickness and density. Notice how they delineate not only form, but also a remarkable range of textures – from the fabric of his coat to the delicate wisps of smoke. The linear composition structures our gaze. Editor: Agreed, but I think the languid quality extends beyond the smoke. Beardsley’s known to have had, let’s say, rather ‘provocative’ inclinations. It's impossible not to read the composition of that gaze, with the thin lips and slight curl of hair, as signaling coded queer identities within the London art scene at the time. This image is operating, and somewhat masking, those intersections of identity and transgression. Curator: Masking maybe, but also performing, even revelling in it. This image possesses structural echoes with symbolist aesthetics which promoted interiority. Editor: Exactly, this portrayal embodies more than an aesthete, it's the intersection between gender expression and illness which made him a cult figure of that time, don't you think? Curator: The absence of color invites us to dwell upon its geometry, its stark contrasts, and the carefully rendered balance between void and solid forms, achieving a perfect self-fashioning. Editor: Right. And the shadows seem to stretch beyond the immediate scene, hinting at narratives simmering beneath the surface, which in itself makes his style unforgettable.