Student Artwork Guide — Front Cover

Name Class Date

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Front Cover (1896). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/aubrey-vincent-beardsley/
Artist’s dates: 1872 – 1898
Painted: 1896
Movement: Art Nouveau Flowing, plant-like curves running through everything from paintings to lamps and doorways.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Aubrey Vincent Beardsley died in 1898; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1968.

Front Cover — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

When was this painted?

1870
1880
1890

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 26 at death.

Painted when the artist was 24. The artist lived to 26. 31 of the 56 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872–1898) ▲ this work, 1896 every dated painting, decade by decade

Compare with

Frontispiece for 'The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly', 1894 originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-frontispiece-for-the-yellow-book-an-illustrated-D2T27F-en/
The cover of The Yellow Book, 1894 originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-cover-of-the-yellow-book-8XXP6T-en/
The Black Cape, 1894 originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-black-cape-8XXP64-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Midnight Blue #343b6c

Catalogued palette

#343B6C
#B69363
#374B96
#756A62

These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

Palette: Dark The dominant colour family in the image.
Main colour name: Midnight Blue
Intensity: Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Gentle How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Clear Color Presence How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Where in the world is this painting looked at?

under 1%
1–3%
3–8%
8–20%
20% and over

This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley over the last twelve months — 8 countries in all. Where these figures come from

The ten leading countries

1 China 67.9%
2 Germany 10.7%
3 United Kingdom 5.4%
4 United States of America 5.4%
5 Hong Kong 3.6%
6 Netherlands 3.6%
7 Ireland 1.8%
8 Poland 1.8%

Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

The 20 most looked-at works by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

1 Oscar Wilde at Work 5.6%
2 The Return of Tannhäuser to the Venusberg 4.2%
3 Cover design to 'The Pierrot of the Minute', 1897 2.8%
4 The Burial of Salome 2.8%
5 Front Cover and spine of Le Morte Darthur 2.8%
6 Incipit Vita Nova 2.8%
7 Merlin and Nimue, 1894 2.8%
8 Publicity poster for 'The Yellow Book' 2.8%
9 Frontispiece for 'The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly', 1894 2.8%
10 Creation 2.8%
11 How King Mark and Sir Dinadan Heard Sir Palomides II 2.8%
12 Poster of Girl and a Bookshop 2.8%
13 The Black Cape, 1894 1.4%
14 The cover of The Yellow Book, 1894 1.4%
15 Vol .III, 1894 1.4%
16 Advertisement for Children's Books, 1894 1.4%
17 Chopin 1.4%
18 Frontispiece for 'Venus and Tannhauser' 1.4%
19 A Nocturne of Chopin 1.4%
— Front Cover, 1896 this painting 0.0%

Together these works take 47.6% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 239 works by this artist, of which 57 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

Artist

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

Born in Brighton, United Kingdom

early life and career

aubrey vincent beardsley, a renowned english illustrator and author, was born on august 21, 1872, in brighton, sussex, england. his life was marked by social instability and emotional intensity, with recurrent attacks of tuberculosis affecting his health throughout his life. despite these challenges, beardsley's mother encouraged his artistic talents, and he developed a passion for music and literature.

artistic style and influences

beardsley's black ink drawings were influenced by japanese woodcuts, depicting the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. his work is characterized by elaborate composition, refined lines, and exploration of themes such as sexual identity. beardsley's contribution to the development of art nouveau was significant, despite his tragically short life.

notable works and collaborations

* salome, a play by oscar wilde, for which beardsley provided illustrations the yellow book, a magazine co-founded by beardsley, showcasing his art nouveau style /en/art/list/ a book of fifty drawings, a collection of beardsley's works, featuring his unique blend of the grotesque and the erotic

legacy and impact

beardsley's work had a profound impact on the development of art nouveau. his influence can be seen in the work of french symbolists and later-period art nouveau artists. [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley)

view beardsley's artworks on AllPaintingsStore: [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley)

read more about beardsley on wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aubrey_beardsley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aubrey_beardsley)

key artworks and museums featuring beardsley's work

* the climax, a painting by beardsley, showcasing his unique style [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3p-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-climax](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3p-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-climax) * isolde, another notable work by beardsley, featuring his art nouveau style [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3j-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-isolde](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3j-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-isolde) beardsley's life was cut short by tuberculosis at the age of 25, but his legacy continues to inspire and influence artists to this day.

Where to read more

The artist Aubrey Vincent Beardsley originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/aubrey-vincent-beardsley/
Similar works More works to compare originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for Front Cover

originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent. Front Cover. 1896, https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/
APA: Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (1896). Front Cover [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/
Chicago: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley. Front Cover. 1896. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/
Harvard: Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (1896) Front Cover. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-front-cover-8XXP7F-en/

Front Cover — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
Our catalogue files this work under: designs and sketches. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
Look back at Frontispiece for 'The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly' (1894), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
Art Nouveau: Flowing, plant-like curves running through everything from paintings to lamps and doorways. Where can you see that in this work?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

Questions & Answers

Can I use augmented reality to see "Front Cover" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley in my room?

"Front Cover" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley can be previewed on your own wall with the artwork's AR Preview page, using augmented reality on a compatible device.

What style does "Front Cover" belong to?

The movement associated with "Front Cover" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley is Art Nouveau. This classification situates the work among related artists and artworks.

How many people view "Front Cover"?

The Stats page of "Front Cover" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley presents public visit statistics: monthly visits of this artwork, a comparison with the artist's most viewed works, and where its visitors come from.