Ali Baba in the Wood 1896

Editor: Here we have Aubrey Beardsley's "Ali Baba in the Wood." The stark black and white is so striking, almost sinister. What do you notice in the symbolism of this scene? Curator: Consider the forest, a space of primal fear and hidden knowledge. The figure's exaggerated features—the hands, the eyes—recall the grotesque masks of medieval morality plays. What repressed anxieties do you think Beardsley is playing with? Editor: Perhaps the fear of the unknown, the untamed parts of ourselves? Curator: Precisely. The figure is both comical and unsettling, a visual embodiment of the uncanny. These symbols create a lasting cultural memory. Editor: I see it now, a reflection of societal anxieties through a distorted lens. Curator: Indeed. Art can offer us a deep reflection of who we are.