Mark making or making a mark? Perversion and sublimation in the work of Estela Welldon, Martin Frishman, and Aubrey Beardsley

Abstract

This short article explores the relationship between sexual perversion, as defined by Estela Welldon and illustrated by the late architect and author, Martin Frishman, and the work of the nineteenth-century artist, Aubrey Beardsley. It primarily argues that in both the acting out of sexual perversion and the creation of illustrations considered perverse, there is a shared desire to transform the experience of shame into the experience of fame. In the perpetrating of a perverse sexual offence, the assault can be regarded as an uncontrollable compelling urge for immediate action. Despite knowing this action is wrong, the offender cannot resist the impulse. The action of the assault offers immediate relief from unbearable anxiety and ultimately transfigures shame, however briefly, into fame. In the creation of sexualised and scandalous drawings, it is argued that the feeling of shame is sublimated, and the desire for fame is achieved without the destructive and perverse use of violence. It contemplates how Beardsley’s provocative drawings, in particular his illustrations for Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, may have influenced the aesthetic of Frishman’s images explaining perversion as a manic defence against depression. Lastly, it considers the way in which unconscious societal prejudice may lead to confusion between sexual perversion and sexual difference.