The text connects Freudian theories—such as the death drive , hysteria, and sexual identity—to the artistic phenomena of the late 19th century.
Decadent art famously values artifice over nature and sophistication over simplicity. It rejects the idea that art must be "useful" or spiritually elevating. Decadent Subjects: The Idea of Decadence in Art...
Artists and their audiences often felt estranged from society, mocking traditional moral rules and embracing sensualism and morbidity to scandalize the "bourgeois" middle class. The text connects Freudian theories—such as the death
Bernheimer rereads several major thinkers and artists to rediscover the "dynamics of the decadent": Decadent Subjects: The Idea of Decadence in Art...