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Student Artwork Guide

Third tableau

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, 1896

Name Class Date
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Third tableau (1896). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley wahooart.com/en/artists/aubrey-vincent-beardsley/
Artist’s dates
1872 – 1898
Painted
1896
Movement
Art Nouveau Flowing, plant-like curves running through everything from paintings to lamps and doorways.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Aubrey Vincent Beardsley died in 1898; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1968.

Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

When was this painted?

  1. 1870
  2. 1880
  3. 1890

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 26 at death.

Painted when the artist was 24. The artist lived to 26. 31 of the 56 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872–1898) ▲ this work, 1896 every dated painting, decade by decade

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: wahooart.com/en/art/similar/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Black #0a0908

    Catalogued palette

    • #0A0908
    • #373633
    • #928F86
    • #F4F2DF

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Main colour name
    Black
    Intensity
    Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley over the last twelve months — 9 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 66.7%3,800 visits
    2. 2 Germany 10.5%600 visits
    3. 3 United Kingdom 5.3%300 visits
    4. 4 United States of America 5.3%300 visits
    5. 5 Hong Kong 3.5%200 visits
    6. 6 Netherlands 3.5%200 visits
    7. 7 Ireland 1.8%100 visits
    8. 8 Poland 1.8%100 visits
    9. 9 Russia 1.8%100 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

    1. 1 Oscar Wilde at Work 5.4%400 visits
    2. 2 The Return of Tannhäuser to the Venusberg 4.1%300 visits
    3. 3 Cover design to 'The Pierrot of the Minute', 1897 2.7%200 visits
    4. 4 The Burial of Salome 2.7%200 visits
    5. 5 Front Cover and spine of Le Morte Darthur 2.7%200 visits
    6. 6 Incipit Vita Nova 2.7%200 visits
    7. 7 Merlin and Nimue, 1894 2.7%200 visits
    8. 8 Publicity poster for 'The Yellow Book' 2.7%200 visits
    9. 9 The Black Cat 2.7%200 visits
    10. 10 Frontispiece for 'The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly', 1894 2.7%200 visits
    11. 11 Creation 2.7%200 visits
    12. 12 Of a Neophyte and how the Black Art was revealed unto him 2.7%200 visits
    13. 13 How King Mark and Sir Dinadan Heard Sir Palomides II 2.7%200 visits
    14. 14 Poster of Girl and a Bookshop 2.7%200 visits
    15. 15 The Black Cape, 1894 1.4%100 visits
    16. 16 The cover of The Yellow Book, 1894 1.4%100 visits
    17. 17 Vol .III, 1894 1.4%100 visits
    18. 18 Advertisement for Children's Books, 1894 1.4%100 visits
    19. 19 Chopin 1.4%100 visits
    20. — Third tableau, 1896 this painting 0.0%0 visits

    Together these works take 48.9% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 239 works by this artist, of which 57 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

    Born in Brighton, United Kingdom

    early life and career

    aubrey vincent beardsley, a renowned english illustrator and author, was born on august 21, 1872, in brighton, sussex, england. his life was marked by social instability and emotional intensity, with recurrent attacks of tuberculosis affecting his health throughout his life. despite these challenges, beardsley's mother encouraged his artistic talents, and he developed a passion for music and literature.

    artistic style and influences

    beardsley's black ink drawings were influenced by japanese woodcuts, depicting the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. his work is characterized by elaborate composition, refined lines, and exploration of themes such as sexual identity. beardsley's contribution to the development of art nouveau was significant, despite his tragically short life.

    notable works and collaborations

    * salome, a play by oscar wilde, for which beardsley provided illustrations the yellow book, a magazine co-founded by beardsley, showcasing his art nouveau style /en/art/list/ a book of fifty drawings, a collection of beardsley's works, featuring his unique blend of the grotesque and the erotic

    legacy and impact

    beardsley's work had a profound impact on the development of art nouveau. his influence can be seen in the work of french symbolists and later-period art nouveau artists. [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley)

    view beardsley's artworks on AllPaintingsStore: [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/aubrey-vincent-beardsley)

    read more about beardsley on wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aubrey_beardsley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aubrey_beardsley)

    key artworks and museums featuring beardsley's work

    * the climax, a painting by beardsley, showcasing his unique style [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3p-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-climax](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3p-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-the-climax) * isolde, another notable work by beardsley, featuring his art nouveau style [https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3j-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-isolde](https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@@/8bwn3j-aubrey-vincent-beardsley-isolde) beardsley's life was cut short by tuberculosis at the age of 25, but his legacy continues to inspire and influence artists to this day.

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Third tableau

    wahooart.com/en/art/download/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent. Third tableau. 1896, https://wahooart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/
    APA
    Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (1896). Third tableau [Painting]. https://wahooart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/
    Chicago
    Aubrey Vincent Beardsley. Third tableau. 1896. https://wahooart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/
    Harvard
    Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (1896) Third tableau. Available at: https://wahooart.com/en/art/aubrey-vincent-beardsley-third-tableau-8XXP7P-en/

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 3 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: characters. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at Frontispiece for 'The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly' (1894), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Third tableau — Aubrey Vincent Beardsley Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    How harmonious are the colors of "Third tableau" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley?

    The color harmony of "Third tableau" is recorded as strong color unity.

    Are there works similar to "Third tableau"?

    Artworks similar to "Third tableau" by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley are gathered on the artwork's Similars page.

    Is "Third tableau" more bright or more dark overall?

    "Third tableau" is deep_shadow overall, and its luminance is soft shadow.