Isolde

1895

The Studio: Isolde, 1895. Aubrey Beardsley (British, 1872–1898). Color lithograph; image: 22.8 x 14.2 cm (9 x 5 9/16 in.); sheet: 28.5 x 20.4 cm (11 1/4 x 8 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John Bonebrake 2010.651 This print depicts Isolde, the female protagonist of a medieval romance centered on an adulterous love triangle. Aubrey Beardsley frequently drew from literature in his artwork, whether as illustrations or independent works of art. He became immensely popular during the 1890s, when this work was made, for his characteristically stark, sinuous, and linear style. Although Beardsley's images often accompanied text in books, this print was published by the popular British art journal The Studio as a bonus for its readers. Aubrey Beardsley died unexpectedly at the age of just 25, at the height of his popularity, of tuberculosis.