---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Initially I borrowed the word \"perverse\"…"
description: "\"Initially I borrowed the word \"perverse\" for my works from Roland Barthes, meaning pleasure-driven and not geared to inform or promote a service or a p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/torbj-rn-r-dland-38040_perverse_initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-f_129345.jpg"
---

#  Initially I borrowed the word "perverse" for my works from…

![“Initially I borrowed the word "perverse" for my works from Roland Barthes, meaning pleasure-driven and not geared to inform or promote a service or a product.” quote by Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/torbj-rn-r-dland-38040_perverse_initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-f_129345.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/torbj-rn-r-dland-38040_perverse_initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-f_129345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/torbj-rn-r-dland-38040_perverse_initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-f_129345.jpg)

> “Initially I borrowed the word "perverse" for my works from Roland Barthes, meaning pleasure-driven and not geared to inform or promote a service or a product.”

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The artist adopted “perverse” to describe work driven by pleasure rather than utility.

**In simple terms:** Using “perverse” for pleasure‑driven art.

Key Takeaway

Create art for joy, not function.

Themes

artistic intent pleasure non‑commercial

Mood

introspective provocative

Type

theoretical creative

When to use this quote

- gallery exhibitions
- personal projects
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

aesthetic autonomy subversion sensory focus

Questions to Reflect On

- What does pleasure mean in your work?
- How do you balance joy and message?

A Different Perspective

Risk of alienating audiences seeking meaning.

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[Perverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perverse/)

## Related quotes

> [Initially I borrowed the word “perverse” from Roland Barthes, meaning pleasure-driven and not geared to inform or promote a service or a product. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-from-roland-barthes-meaning/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [“Edgar Allan Poe called it “the imp of the perverse,” that willful, self-destructive voice within that impels us to do things or say things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cashill/edgar-allan-poe-called-it-the-imp-of-the-perverse-that-willful-self/)

[Jack Cashill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cashill/)

> [To be a landscape painter is to be a perverse individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-kahn/to-be-a-landscape-painter-is-to-be-a-perverse-individual/)

[Wolf Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-kahn/)

> [ “\[Perverse\] unreason has its own logical processes” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perverse-unreason-has-its-own-logical-processes/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself the least of God's creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wilson/i-had-to-be-first-in-everything-because-in-my-perverse-heart-i-felt/)

[Bill Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-wilson/)

> [“Woman, thy name is perversity!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-way/woman-thy-name-is-perversity/)

[Margaret Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-way/)

> [The society that destroys its children is eating its own tail, committing suicide in the most perverse way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/the-society-that-destroys-its-children-is-eating-its-own-tail/)

[Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/)

> [Our career path has tended to be the most perverse and contrary approach to the entertainment industry imaginable, while at the same time doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-garrett/our-career-path-has-tended-to-be-the-most-perverse-and-contrary/)

[Peter Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-garrett/)

> [I think the business affairs people at the studios get some kind of perverse satisfaction in finding the worst hotels for actors to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-think-the-business-affairs-people-at-the-studios-get-some-kind-of/)

[James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/)

> [I don't know how exactly but I'm maybe perverse in the sense that I like being disappointed in something on a daily basis. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/i-don-t-know-how-exactly-but-i-m-maybe-perverse-in-the-sense-that-i/)

[Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/)

> [You can't really win as a Booker judge. If you choose the obvious names, the unit-shifters, you're accused of being timid and unimaginative; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/you-can-t-really-win-as-a-booker-judge-if-you-choose-the-obvious/)

[Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/)

> [Twisted and perverse are the ways of the human mind," Jane intoned. "Pinocchio was such a dolt to try to become a real boy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/twisted-and-perverse-are-the-ways-of-the-human-mind-jane-intoned/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [...all nature is perverse & will not do as I wish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/all-nature-is-perverse-will-not-do-as-i-wish-it/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of 'Married... with Children,' which is a really funny and perverse place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-markle/every-day-after-school-for-10-years-i-was-on-the-set-of-married-with/)

[Meghan Markle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-markle/)

> [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

## More by Torbjørn Rødland

> [I'd like the photographs to potentially be meaningful to a wide range of people. They do not grow out of the reportage mode, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-d-like-the-photographs-to-potentially-be-meaningful-to-a-wide-range/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [Los Angeles made me less interested in making my images move. Everything is evolving and regressing. It can be hard to pinpoint which changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/los-angeles-made-me-less-interested-in-making-my-images-move/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [Tactility was rejected in conceptual photography. I embrace the possibilities of my medium. Surface, texture, and tactility is something analog photography can do well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/tactility-was-rejected-in-conceptual-photography-i-embrace-the/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [I often have to feel my way through the alternatives. The 99-cent store is attractive because it offers objects that aren't promoted in glossy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-often-have-to-feel-my-way-through-the-alternatives-the-99-cent/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [Making photographs can be a way for me to bring something up and into consciousness, something either shared or individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/making-photographs-can-be-a-way-for-me-to-bring-something-up-and-into/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [Initially I borrowed the word “perverse” from Roland Barthes, meaning pleasure-driven and not geared to inform or promote a service or a product. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/initially-i-borrowed-the-word-perverse-from-roland-barthes-meaning/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [It's easy to play fun forms, surfaces, and languages against each other. Teenagers do this every day, producing winning memes from random patterns. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/it-s-easy-to-play-fun-forms-surfaces-and-languages-against-each-other/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [I'm experimenting and pushing as far as I can. I typically don't know what I was aiming for until I see what I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-m-experimenting-and-pushing-as-far-as-i-can-i-typically-don-t-know/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [I've found that photographs from different genres can be extraordinarily generous with each other. I started out photographing myself in a landscape, moved on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-ve-found-that-photographs-from-different-genres-can-be/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [I like to put a single photograph in different contexts, to see how it takes on other meanings, how being locked in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-like-to-put-a-single-photograph-in-different-contexts-to-see-how-it/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

> [I am fascinated by how images and motifs move between and adjust to different cultures. I'm a Norwegian living in Los Angeles showing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbj-rn-r-dland/i-am-fascinated-by-how-images-and-motifs-move-between-and-adjust-to/)

[Torbjørn Rødland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

[Explore all 12 Torbjørn Rødland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbj-rn-r-dland/)

## More Perverse quotes

> [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

> [Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of 'Married... with Children,' which is a really funny and perverse place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-markle/every-day-after-school-for-10-years-i-was-on-the-set-of-married-with/)

[Meghan Markle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-markle/)

> [...all nature is perverse & will not do as I wish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/all-nature-is-perverse-will-not-do-as-i-wish-it/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Twisted and perverse are the ways of the human mind," Jane intoned. "Pinocchio was such a dolt to try to become a real boy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/twisted-and-perverse-are-the-ways-of-the-human-mind-jane-intoned/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [You can't really win as a Booker judge. If you choose the obvious names, the unit-shifters, you're accused of being timid and unimaginative; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/you-can-t-really-win-as-a-booker-judge-if-you-choose-the-obvious/)

[Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/)

> [I don't know how exactly but I'm maybe perverse in the sense that I like being disappointed in something on a daily basis. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/i-don-t-know-how-exactly-but-i-m-maybe-perverse-in-the-sense-that-i/)

[Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/)

> [I think the business affairs people at the studios get some kind of perverse satisfaction in finding the worst hotels for actors to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-think-the-business-affairs-people-at-the-studios-get-some-kind-of/)

[James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/)

> [Our career path has tended to be the most perverse and contrary approach to the entertainment industry imaginable, while at the same time doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-garrett/our-career-path-has-tended-to-be-the-most-perverse-and-contrary/)

[Peter Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-garrett/)

> [The society that destroys its children is eating its own tail, committing suicide in the most perverse way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/the-society-that-destroys-its-children-is-eating-its-own-tail/)

[Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/)

> [“Woman, thy name is perversity!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-way/woman-thy-name-is-perversity/)

[Margaret Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-way/)

> [I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself the least of God's creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wilson/i-had-to-be-first-in-everything-because-in-my-perverse-heart-i-felt/)

[Bill Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-wilson/)

> [ “\[Perverse\] unreason has its own logical processes” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perverse-unreason-has-its-own-logical-processes/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [To be a landscape painter is to be a perverse individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-kahn/to-be-a-landscape-painter-is-to-be-a-perverse-individual/)

[Wolf Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-kahn/)

> [“Edgar Allan Poe called it “the imp of the perverse,” that willful, self-destructive voice within that impels us to do things or say things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cashill/edgar-allan-poe-called-it-the-imp-of-the-perverse-that-willful-self/)

[Jack Cashill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cashill/)

> [There's so much of our psychological makeup which is impermissible for us to explore because it's inappropriate or perverse or scary. I'm interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/there-s-so-much-of-our-psychological-makeup-which-is-impermissible/)

[Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/)

[Browse all 118 Perverse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perverse/)

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