Saturday, June 13, 2009

Nice boots
























The Lacedaemonian Ambassadors (illus. for Lysistrata), Aubrey Beardsley, 1896

13 comments:

chayaruchama said...

Ahhhh- Lysistrata !
my favorite Greek comedy, and best Beardsley- next to Salome w/ St. J's head.

What a nice way to start my day....

BitterGrace said...

Isn't Beardsley great? I've loved his work since I was a little kid--though nobody ever showed me any of his edgier productions back then.

Mary said...

He was very influenced by Japanese 'shunga'. I love his use of negative space in his drawings. He was such a daring artist! Can you imagine being seated between him and his friend Oscar Wilde at a dinner party??

jmcleod76 said...

Hahahahahaha! I love Lysistrata. Girl power, indeed.

BitterGrace said...

I think I'd be a little afraid to be a guest at the party, Mary. I'd rather be a fly on the wall.

I have hazy memories of an all-female production of Lysistrata at Mt. Holyoke, J--there's an image to ponder a while.

jmcleod76 said...

I once wrote an article about a reworking of Lysistrata that was staged in Pittsburgh several years back. It was set during the WWII era and called "Loose Lips Sink Ships." Heh ...

indieperfumes said...

You are not kidding. Those boots alone! What would we not give?

leopoldo said...

Small guy seems to be checking on his state of cleanliness. Either that, or he's dizzy with bloodloss and is holding on for support...

I'm not sure how well Beardsley and Wilde got on...

BitterGrace said...

Hmmm, good observation. I thought small guy was just especially devoted to his member, but he could be inspecting.

For a little essay from VictorianWeb on Beardsley and Wilde's relationship click here.

Trish said...

Lysistrata....those guys are really showing their frustration aren't they?

BitterGrace said...

Hi, Trish. They do look a little...intense.

slowhorse said...

Not being familiar with the artist, at all, or with Lysistrata, I'm really admitting my cultural shortcomings. The drawing in question would appear to me to be a satire on the equipment, literal, psychological, and societal, that men have to lug around? Probably a total projection on my part.

BitterGrace said...

In case you'd like to get familiar:
Text of Lysistrata: https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristophanes/lysistra/
All Beardsley's illustrations for same: https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/beardsley/aubrey/lysistrata/
About Beardsley: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-faith-behind-aubrey-beardsleys-sexually-charged-art