List of Pictures 1894

Aubrey Beardsley created this pen and ink drawing titled "List of Pictures." The composition is striking; a dense thicket of flora in stark black and white surrounds a blank rectangular space. Beardsley masterfully uses line and contrast to create depth. Look at the way the organic forms of the natural elements, like the flowers and foliage, are juxtaposed against the rigid geometry of the frame. Note how the artist plays with positive and negative space, creating a visual push and pull that keeps the eye engaged. The figures within this ornate border—the ethereal woman, the winged creature—seem to emerge from the darkness. They represent a departure from realism, and a turn to symbolism. The blank frame becomes a site for us to project our interpretations, which may be the meaning of the picture: how we complete what the artist has started.