When we ask whether ugliness in art exists, we step into a debate between subjective judgment and the pursuit of objective criteria. Since Antiquity, philosophers have tried to define beauty through rules such as the golden ratio and harmony, while linking ugliness to disorder or malevolence. However, such definitions have always relied on cultural and political conventions shaped by each historical moment and by those in power.
In the 19th century, painter Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier gained fame and fortune through highly academic artwork. When he died in 1891, he received grand honors in Paris. Yet just a few decades later, Impressionism had shifted the artistic canon, and his paintings ended up in storage rooms or museum side galleries. This shift reveals how ideas of beauty change, even for those today who wish to buy art or find the best place to buy art.
From Van Gogh to Meissonier’s Rediscovery
While Meissonier was being honored, Vincent van Gogh died in 1890 poor and virtually unknown. His intense and vibrant brushstrokes clashed with the official taste of the Paris Salon, which favored precise drawing and smooth finishes. When the Salon des Refusés opened in 1863, it exposed institutional resistance to non-traditional art.
Soon after, the term “Impressionism” emerged as a pejorative label—used by critics accusing Monet and his peers of unfinished sketches. These reactions show that art criteria are far from neutral; they reflect dominant values of each era.
Today, critics revisit once-dismissed artists like Meissonier, revaluing his fine technique and narrative precision. Curators now question the rigid line between beauty and ugliness, showing how the desire for objectivity often conceals aesthetic bias. Meanwhile, Van Gogh—once rejected—is now celebrated. This proves that artistic value evolves over time.
When people buy paintings or buy art online, they also participate in these evolving judgments. Ultimately, the very idea of ugliness in art proves unstable, shaped by each culture’s narrative.
