Beardsley "Salome"

This picture has a lot going on. I don't understand it, yet I'm intrigued. I see a guy or devil looking medusa wannabe holding a severed head. The head appears to be bleeding. The photo is all black and white. The background in the top left appears to me as clouds. On the bottom of the picture is a blooming flower and a plant that is germinating. The saying is in french, although I cannot translate it after taking four years of french.
I think that the picture is black and white to provide emphasis and drama. I think the creature holding the severed head is supposed to be something supernatural. I think the clouds represent the creature being something bigger than human beings. The severed head is symbolic, could be for various reasons. One could be that the death of one leads to growth of another, hence the growing plants on the bottom of the picture. I would be interested in seeing more of this artists work and the inspiration behind this particular masterpiece.