Seated Lady 

This is Aubrey Beardsley's "Seated Lady," a work that exemplifies his mastery of line and form through pen and ink. Notice how the composition is dominated by stark contrasts of black and white, creating a visually striking effect. The figure's elongated lines and the decorative, flowing patterns on her gown pull the viewer's eye from top to bottom. The deliberate arrangement of shapes, such as the solid black hair against the pale face and the geometric pattern of the object in the centre, reveal a sophisticated understanding of visual balance. Beardsley’s use of line is not merely descriptive, it is structural, defining space and form while also conveying a sense of elegance and artifice. In Beardsley's time, there was a growing interest in art that explored the artificiality of beauty and the subversion of traditional values. His works, often charged with symbolism, challenged fixed meanings and engaged with new ways of thinking about representation. The drawing style with flatness and stark contrasts functions not just aesthetically but also as part of a larger cultural discourse questioning conventional notions of beauty and morality.