Language of Modern Art: Blood and Beauty

Can anything be beautiful, that looks unpleasant and unattractive from the first sight? Does the structure of beautiful foresee death? Should art be only pleasant and soothing or can it also be provocative and even shocking?

The speaker talked about anti-aesthetics, roots of negative themes in art and about the nature of aesthetic judgment in general.  Why can the presence of blood, urine or death scenes be called art? Is it art at all? What is art?

Lecture is a part of the lecture series "Opening the World of Art".

Credits

Cover Image: "Self", 1991 / Marc Quinn