The concept of beauty has long been a central tenet of Western art history. In classical art at least, beauty was viewed as a stand-in for the sacred. This traditional approach can be seen in paintings like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, The Creation of Adam (1512), or Sacred and Profane Love (1513–14) by Titian. Since the 20th century, however, many artists have sought to work with more “exploded” forms of painting—styles that disrupt figuration, and challenge or distort our perception of reality. These paintings are often characterized by their jarring, unnatural colors, warped figures, and unsettling subject matter; they are paintings more concerned with aesthetic provocation, and, as such, with ugliness rather than beauty.
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