I found Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations for Oscar Wilde's play, Salomé, to be incredibly unique. His thin, unchanging line art, as well as his dominating use of negative space creates a style that is unlike any other we have looked at so far in this course, and one that overshadows the text itself for myself. In addition, the relationship between Beardsley's art and Wilde also creates a interesting dynamic, as Wilde was vocally not a fan of the illustrations. This disagreement between author and artist greatly shapes the way we analyse the text. The obvious point of contention for Wilde is that many of the illustrations do not match Wilde's writing, most notably with "The Toilette of Salomé," which depicts Salome in typical Victorian setting, rather than the biblical setting of the play. However, despite these liberties taken, Beardsley's illustrations still demonstrate the themes of sexuality found in Wilde's writing, whether it be the dominating male gaze upon Salome, or her own seductive sexuality. This is often portrayed by Beardsley by illustrating Salome in a dominant position in the frame, whether is be towering over the other characters or by having her attire feature more detail or ink to oppose the negative space. Through this, Beardsley not only shows Salome's dominant sexuality, but also draws the reader’s gaze towards her along with the other characters in the scene. As mentioned in the presentations, this representation of Salome as a dominant "femme fatale" could be seen an act of othering, rather than a representation of liberation for societal norms.