Pleasure in the Ugly and in the Beautiful
June 3, 2008
Aesthetic pleasure that comes from a representation of unpleasant things is based on distance and comfort. The unpleasant content is a fiction. The image is cathartic, we escape from real horror.
Representations of beauty cause disappointment. The viewer experiences it as mere representation.
Guilt accompanies pleasure in the ugly (I have escaped the tragedy of pain), longing in the beautiful (if only that were true).
Entry Filed under: art. Tags: aesthetic pleasure, Beauty, ugly.
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