Ultimate ugly: Jake and Dinos Chapman’s Disasters of War and the theology of ugliness
Ugliness is an elusive concept and has been little discussed in theological aesthetics. This article argues that contemporary culture often regards ugliness as being more authentic than beauty and prizes ugliness in contemporary art. Through a discussion of works by the contemporary British artists...
Published in: | Theology |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage
[2016]
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In: |
Theology
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IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history VA Philosophy |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Ugliness is an elusive concept and has been little discussed in theological aesthetics. This article argues that contemporary culture often regards ugliness as being more authentic than beauty and prizes ugliness in contemporary art. Through a discussion of works by the contemporary British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman that rework Goya’s Disasters of War, this article suggests that ugliness is connected to nihilism, and that it should be seen as not the opposite of, but the negation of beauty. The works by the Chapman brothers embody the aesthetic and affective qualities of ugliness, and thus a consideration of these works can help to formulate a theology of ugliness. |
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ISSN: | 2044-2696 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Theology
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0040571X16659241 |