The Peacock Skirt 1893

Curator: Let's spend a moment with Aubrey Beardsley's "The Peacock Skirt," created in 1893, a mesmerizing ink drawing now residing at the Fogg Museum. It practically vibrates off the paper! Editor: Yes, there’s something almost shockingly modern about the graphic impact, isn’t there? It's stark—all that black ink blooming against the white. A real testament to the power of limited materials, to the tools available to Beardsley, pens, inks, paper. Curator: Blooming! I love that description. It does feel like the ink is almost alive, doesn't it? I imagine him bent over, lost in those swirls and tendrils, chasing some decadent vision… the weight of desire pressed onto the page. Editor: Decadent is right, and so very much a product of its time! I see the repetitive labour, the countless strokes. The sheer number of individual pen strokes forming the larger images points toward mass production, this intricate piece acting as the core of what might be available on the wider market as commodities through prints, or patterns. Curator: True, true. Yet there's such precision there. It is the craftsmanship for the burgeoning market that's still a step above the rest. Consider the symbolism – the peacock, an age-old signifier of pride and vanity but twisted with Beardsley’s own brand of darkly playful perversity. See how the eye on each feather becomes almost watchful. Editor: Yes, all created with basic materials, a commentary in itself when thinking of what and who art production was typically associated with. But, if you shift focus from the subject and dive deeper into process, notice how Beardsley reinterprets mass culture aesthetics to his time. We almost feel as though we're experiencing two realities converging – both handmade production with high quality intentions. Curator: You've got me thinking now about what that blend offers. The way something so meticulously crafted, so *handmade,* becomes a commentary on the spectacle of late Victorian society. Is he complicit, critical, or somewhere delightfully in between? Editor: Well, whatever it is, "The Peacock Skirt" pulls you in for more, with the intention and capability for mass market consumption. It doesn't shy away from this material reality; instead, Beardsley puts labor and access front and center, even while the dream unfolds, in the ink, on paper. Curator: Leaving us to ponder… whether the pen is mightier than the pose, or perhaps just the most accessible way to reflect on the complexities of what it means to "see." Editor: Absolutely. Ultimately, it asks us: what materials and access will future generations utilize to make new, equally complex statements?