The Eyes of Herod 1893

Curator: This is Aubrey Beardsley's "The Eyes of Herod," currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has a haunting quality, stark contrasts creating a sense of unsettling theatricality. Curator: Indeed. Beardsley's use of line is masterful, the composition relying on these sharp delineations to create form and depth in this two-dimensional piece. Editor: And we should note that Beardsley’s decadent style challenged Victorian morality, often engaging with themes of sexuality and power. Salome's gaze, for example, subverts traditional portrayals of female passivity. Curator: The stark black and white, almost a rejection of color, directs the viewer's eye deliberately, focusing on the interplay between light and shadow. Editor: Which, within its cultural context, signified a rebellion against accepted social norms, highlighting repressed desires and anxieties. It's all quite provocative, even now. Curator: Certainly, a work that continues to invite contemplation. Editor: A reminder of art's capacity to reflect, and refract, the values of its time.