I haven't seen anyone else leap in to respond to Barnabas Strickland's
question about beauty and ugliness, perhaps because it seemed to come
from out of left field. But I can't resist. Barnabas, many books have
been written about aesthetics, and countless philosophical debates have
raged ad nauseam. You're not likely to get a definitive (or even useful)
answer on a listserv. Yes, beauty and ugliness are opposites, but on the
other hand, these are subjective, complex, and multi-faceted issues.
Yes, there can be beauty in ugliness and vice-versa. But "beauty" is not
necessarily the central issue for art, and I don't think museums are
biased toward beauty in order to avoid upsetting patrons with ugliness!
I suggest you spend more time in art museums. --David Haberstich