In the history of European fine arts the phenomenon of British graphic artist, illustrator, decorator and poet Aubrey Beardsley has no equal. During only a few years of his short-lived artistic career, this young self-taught artist, a member of the hedonist club, dandy apologist wearing a faded rose in his buttonhole, managed to accomplish what some recognized maîtres could not do in their whole lifetime. Having died at only 26, he changed the world aesthetic frame of reference for good with a new direction in art with his works. Modern, with its plasticity, ornamental and stylized eclecticism, is called the era of Beardsley by many art critics branding his style as «the area of total influence of the artist».
