Lysistrata Defending the Acropolis 1896

Curator: Here we have Aubrey Beardsley's ink drawing, "Lysistrata Defending the Acropolis" from 1896. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Well, it's certainly cheeky. Literally! That triumphant female figure squirting something – water? – while another appears to be, uh, projecting something else, toward the men is, shall we say, unconventional warfare. Curator: Absolutely. It's quintessential Beardsley – a blend of the elegant and the utterly grotesque. The image is of course inspired by Aristophanes' play, "Lysistrata," a comedy where women withhold sex to end the Peloponnesian War. Beardsley turns the story into this very sharp, almost aggressively funny image. Editor: And the symbolism… it’s delightfully layered. Is it a feminist statement, a mockery of classical ideals, or simply Beardsley indulging in provocative whimsy? The Art Nouveau curves make the scandalous act appear almost graceful! Curator: I think it's all those things at once. Beardsley understood how to harness the power of satire. Look at the figure in the lower left – so utterly humiliated. But the "weapons" employed are distinctly female, flipping traditional power dynamics on their head. Beardsley challenges Victorian societal constraints on gender and sexuality in his characteristically theatrical and slightly dark way. Editor: It’s interesting to consider this in relation to the rising tide of the Aesthetic movement, where beauty and form were often prized above morality. To see classical references subverted like this, the clean lines dedicated to…flatulence. Curator: Beardsley wasn’t afraid of juxtaposing the beautiful and the base. It is part of what made him so popular at the time, and yet still controversial. It is thought-provoking how, through very clear references, Beardsley used ancient art in such an amusingly obscene form. Editor: Right! You’re left to ponder the politics of art, gender and public expression – even today. All in all, a fantastic conversation starter, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Indeed. And proof that sometimes, the sharpest commentary comes with a healthy dose of impudence.