The beauty of ugliness

For centuries, art has been a means to depicting the beauty of society. In art, human flaws can be removed with a simple brush stroke or piece of clay, and suddenly perfection is attained. However, recent horrific events, such as nuclear war and genocide, have made it near impossible for artists to continue ignoring the disgrace and ugliness ubiquitous in this world. Artists such as Freida Kahlo, Otto Dix, and Lucian Freud have realistically represented the human condition within their works. For instance, Otto Dix’s “Modern War” portrays the gruesome nature of war. Dix, a World War I veteran, was haunted by the brutality of battle, and his memories came alive on paper, in vivid color. This particular painting shows mutilated bodies strewn across a military trench. All humans are covered with helmets and gas masks, making each individual indistinguishable; such anonymity reflects the impersonal nature of war. 

"Modern War"

His other painting, shown below, accurately exposes the pitiful state of most veterans following war. In the painting, a wounded veteran sells matches on the street as a dog urinates on the stumps that were once his legs. This painting contrasts with other paintings of the time, which depicted war veterans as heroes of society.

While Dix focused on truthful portrayal of human nature, other artists, such as Lucian Freud, focused on the truthful portrayal of the human body. Traditional art works give a picture of humans as godlike and radiant, as within the “Break Girl” paintings and classical Roman statues. Freud chose to depict his subjects in their true light. For instance, his painting "Lying by the Rags" exposes every crevice, wrinkle, and blemish of the naked human body.

"Lying by the Rags" 

Many viewers find the genuine nature of the works of Dix, Freud, and other artists ugly. In my opinion, beauty has not left these art works, but rather transcended superficial aesthetics to honest portrayals. Beauty has been described as whatever stirs the viewer, as a “hammer to stamp out complacency.” The horrific nature of some paintings certainly catches the viewer’s attention, causing an array of emotions. True beauty is not perfection, but rather the ability to create such raw emotions within the viewers, to cause them to connect with the piece of work on a personal level. After all, humans are more able to relate to weaknesses than they are to flawlessness. Thus, beauty hasn’t disappeared from art. Instead, the “beauty of ugliness” has finally been established.

-Tina