ROSIE ANDREW
DOI 10.20933/100001379
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The Allure of the Macabre
From the 15th century to the present day
Rosie Andrew Fine Art BA(Hons)
Word count: 7416
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Fine Art
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
University of Dundee 2025
Abstract
This dissertation will explore critical theory works by a series of philosophers spanning different ages, analysing themes of disgust, the Abject and the macabre within art. Critically analysing three main works of art ranging from the 19th century to the present day I will discuss theorical work by Korsmeyer (2011), Kristeva (1995) and Kant (2008) and their impact on the themes of beauty and the macabre. I will look specifically at three art works as references for the theory which underpins this dissertation - two paintings Dante and Virgil by Bourgeaus (1850), Painting 1946 (1946) by Francis Bacon and a sculptural installation Grotto (2015) by Bart Hess. Researching the validity of macabre and grotesque art within the field of aesthetics and more widely within art history, I will delve into the aesthetics of disgust and how artists have used eerie and unsettling themes within their works for centuries. Beginning with the “aesthetics of disgust”, I will navigate my way from philosophical theorists spanning the centuries through the circles of Dante’s Purgatory, passing through the slaughterhouses of Bacon’s fleshy brush strokes and entering Hess’s futuristic wrinkled skin caves. Finally, I will argue that our attitudes towards all these themes are in constant flux and that although difficult subjects have never been easy to confront, artists have continually persevered and showcased their beauty throughout human existence.
List of Illustrations
Figures
2.1.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, ‘Dante and Virgil’ (1850), oil on canvas, H: 280,5; L: 225,3 cm
Pages
image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris 7
2.2.
Guy Marchant, ‘La Danse Macabre’, The Pope and Emperor (1485)
Book
Image courtesy of Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, France 10
2.3.
Guy Marchant, ‘La Danse Macabre’, Parish Priest and Peasant (1485)
Book
Image courtesy of Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, France 10
3.1.
Francis Bacon, ‘Painting 1946’ (1946), oil and pastel on linen, H: 197.8; L: 132.1 cm
image courtesy of Museum of Modern Art, New York 12
3.2.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, The Carcass of an Ox (Slaughtered Ox) (1655) oil on board, H: 73.3; L: 51.7 cm
Image courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow 15
4.1.
Bart Hess, ‘Grotto’ (2015)
hanging latex installation
image courtesy of Bart Hess 17
4.3.
Bernardo Buontalenti, interior of first room, Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta di Buontalenti) (1551-1587)
image courtesy of Uffizi Galleries, Florence 19
4.4.
Bernardo Buontalenti, outside view, Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta di Buontalenti) (1551-1587)
image courtesy of Uffizi Galleries, Florence 19
Introduction
This dissertation investigates the allure that macabre art has had throughout history from the 15th century through to contemporary times, through critical theory works by Carolyn Korsmeyer (2011), Julia Kristeva (1980), Immanuel Kant (1790) and briefly touching upon work by Sigmund Freud (1919) The objective of this research is to examine how the macabre and the grotesque have always played a part in the art world and have always been present, despite causing controversy, leading to feelings of unease The key issues that will be discussed are the deep effect that macabre art has had throughout the centuries and its uses in society. I will do this by looking into work by Carolyn Korsmeyer, in particular her book “Savouring Disgust: The Foul and The Fair in Aesthetics” (Korsmeyer, 2011)
This area of research is of particular relevance to my practice, as my work explores the concept of finding beauty in the macabre through a creative amalgam of butchery and dance and how the macabre is ever present in our everyday lives, we just don’t see it or choose not to see it
This dissertation is composed of four chapters –
Chapter One – Examines critical theory works by Carolyn Korsmeyer. Focusing on her theory of aesthetics of disgust, which discusses the validity of disgust within the field of aesthetics. I will also analyse works by Kristeva and Kant and touch briefly upon the essay “The Uncanny” by Freud. I will highlight the theories and ideas that pertain to my research which these philosophers put forward, highlighting them in relation to my research topic and artworks that I will discuss in the following chapters.
Chapter Two – Examines the artwork Dante and Virgil by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1850) I will start by introducing the artwork, giving a brief background on the artist. I will link the work to Renaissance writer Dante Alighieri, Christianity and the Danse Macabre demonstrating a connection between different art and literary movements, religion and their interest in the grotesque.
Chapter Three - Examines Painting 1946 by Francis Bacon (1946) I will again start by introducing the artwork and examining the artist’s background I will link the work to the
Dutch Mannerist movement looking specifically at Rembrandt and how this influenced Bacon’s work. I will discuss the role of Christianity in Bacon’s work, as a recurring theme and evaluating whether Bacon’s work is to be considered abject or not.
Chapter Four - Examines the artwork Grotto by Bart Hess (2015) I will once again introduce the artwork and the artist’s background. I will discuss Renaissance architectural grottos of the 15th century. I will explore how contemporary materials and settings bring the concept of the grotesque into a contemporary art setting. I will link in the concept of the abject by Kristeva (1980) to analyse our repulsion and reaction to the macabre or grotesque.
Chapter One
Aesthetics of Beauty, Disgust and the Abject in relation to art
This first chapter focuses on the book “Savouring Disgust: The Foul and the Fair in Aesthetics” by Carolyn Korsmeyer (Korsmeyer,2011) to deepen my investigation into the allure of the macabre and its importance in art. Korsmeyer was born in 1950 and is now a research professor of Philosophy at Buffalo University in New York (Korsmeyer, 2024)
Many of Korsmeyer’s published works, have explored topics of beauty, disgust and aesthetics This dissertation focuses on one work in particular, “Savouring Disgust” (Korsmeyer, 2011), in which, Korsmeyer analyses and talks about how disgust through theorists spanning different times, isn’t merely a visceral response to a work of art, but can be part of a wider aesthetic understanding (Clowney, 2012), one which she argues has not been discussed enough by philosophers in the field of aesthetics. The book analyses the many forms, which disgust can take on and how it manifests itself and investigating in particular the meaning it takes on within art. (Korsmeyer, 2011)
Disgust plays a fundamental role in art and in life. Difficult subjects are tackled by art and even though these subjects might elicit negative feelings in us, we are still drawn to them, as Korsmeyer herself puts it “it can exert a paradoxical magnetism” (Korsmeyer, 2011, pp.3-14)
The reason for which disgust has been discarded as a legitimate subject of study is mainly because of its visceral nature, whereas art that horrifies or shocks in some way can transcend this horror inducing state and become sublime To many founders of aesthetic theories, including Kant, it does not hold the power to transform painful subjects into aesthetic pleasure. But disgust is just disgust, it is what it is and can’t be shaken, it has such an effect on the viewer and even by tainting their perception, a piece of art cannot transform into a beautiful work of art. many philosophers including Kant argue this theory. It is marked down as what they regarded as an aesthetic defect. Korsmeyer, however, proposes the contrary, she argues that because of the power disgust holds, and the visceral qualities it has and that it elicits in the viewer it holds special aesthetic force.
Disgust becomes so dependent on our senses that Korsmeyer proposes that it holds greater power. (Korsmeyer, 2011)
To expand a little more on where Kant stood and what his theories were, I shall delve a little further into his work “Critique of Judgement “ (Kant,1911), where Kant argues that beauty has nothing to do with the beautiful object but with the way it’s perceived by a subject. So, to Kant, aesthetic judgment is subjective. It works through our feelings and it does not try to generate any new ideas but instead is purely free and again subjective. So, an aesthetic judgment in this case is an end in itself. Subject and object for Kant are complete and perfect within themselves. Kant continues, stating that the judgment of the beautiful is universal but subjective at the same time. paradoxically it is universally felt. Because that, which is beautiful differs from the pleasurable as it is disinterested, it does not seek gratification unlike pleasure Beauty does not work in accordance to any concept. Therefore, if beauty is indifferent to the object, it is also free from external prejudice and judgment. So, if we all feel it freely, we must all feel it the same. This concept is central to Kant’s philosophy on the aesthetic judgment. This thinking has been criticized over the years. Korsmeyer being one of these critics. (Kant, 1911)
In the field of aesthetic studies, both in Freud and Korsmeyers’ times respectively, the uncanny and disgust, as well as the abject for Kristeva has rarely been put at the forefront of philosophers’ agendas as a valued field of study. It has merely been discounted as simply an impulse or basic, visceral emotion (Clowney, 2012). Through Freud and Korsmeyer in particular, I wish to show how these academics emphasize the importance of these emotions, showing how they may have an important, in-depth value within the field of aesthetics.
Many of the studies of aesthetics at the time concerned themselves more with the beautiful, the sublime and those objects which triggered these emotions as opposed to their opposites (Korsmeyer, 2011, pp.)
“The subject of the ‘uncanny’ is, without doubt related to what is frightening to what arouses dread and horror; equally certainly, too, the word is not always used in a clearly definable sense, so that it tends to coincide with what excites fear in general” (Freud, 1919, p.219)
In “The Uncanny” by S. Freud (1919), he analyses,” the unfamiliar”, as per the English translation, through different stories, storytellers and thinkers of the early 1900’s. Freud’ s analysis, talks about the “ uncanny ” as in that which is unknown or new, that which is not familiar to us or is frightening. In this specific quote from the book, it is reminiscent of the ideas talked about in Korsmeyer’ s work, referring to the idea that disgust is a purely visceral reaction /feeling to something, and here Freud puts it as “.., and that everything which now strikes us as ‘uncanny’ fulfils the condition of touching those residues of animalistic mental activity within us and bringing them to expression” (Freud, 1919, p240241) Freud refers to this when discussing the fields of superstition, however, the idea of a primal, animalistic reaction to the uncanny is also of great interest and relevance in this research and one to keep in mind.
Korsmeyer also referred to Kristeva’s work throughout her book “Savouring Disgust” (Korsmeyer, 2011) as Kristeva delved into the idea of the abject in relation to a wider cultural view, not just art I will give a brief introduction to some of Kristeva’s work to put it into context and show its relevance within this body of research.
Kristeva’s essay “Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection” (1995) is a seminal work, which builds on psychoanalytic theory. Kristeva touches upon psychoanalysis, art, philosophy and culture. She mainly relates the abject to the subject and how the abject is a breakdown of identity and can override societal boundaries.
Kristeva defines the abject as “that which is cast off or rejected from the subject's sense of self”. It refers to anything that disrupts the boundaries of the self, such as bodily fluids, decay, death, or anything that challenges the clean, orderly construction of identity. The abject is not simply something unpleasant but represents a profound violation of the subject's boundaries and a breakdown of the distinction between the self and the other (Kristeva, 1995).
Kristeva emphasizes the ability which the abject possesses in challenging aesthetic norms. It confronts the viewer’s desires to hide from the uncomfortable and confronts the limits of subjectivity and identity The type of art, which, uses decay, bodily fluids and horror as a medium necessitate the viewer to reflect upon their own unconscious fears, their mortality
and fragility, and in a broader sense, the fragility of life itself. It forces the viewer to look at those subjects, which are otherwise marginalized from society (Kristeva,1995).
I will be discussing the abject more in Chapter Three, where I talk about Francis Bacon’s work, renowned for his eerie and grotesque paintings, often including carcasses of meat, with themes which question the human condition. I will highlight the debates around whether Bacon’s work should be considered abject or not.
Like many of the texts I have analysed, Kristeva’s work shows the power of the abject/macabre/uncanny/disgusting/horrific. The power of it, but also the lack of in-depth research on the topic and its validity within art, possibly, because of the fact that its visceral nature tends to cause people to avert their gaze. The allure of the macabre is undeniably a very important topic of research. As Korsmeyer points out, many philosophers have concerned themselves with the sublime and the beautiful but not so much their opposites (Korsmeyer, 2011)
Difficult works of art, without the use of words, can make us reflect upon subjects much bigger than ourselves. Subjects that don’t necessarily get brought up, because of their uncomfortable nature. It reminds us of the absurdity of life but also the fragility and the transience of it. Just as “The Danse Macabre” was used by the church to keep people from straying from “the path” and to keep people under their power (Oosterwijk, 2011). To remind the viewer that “death does not discriminate against class or gender, he will come for us all one day” (Oosterwijk, S. and Knoll, S.A., 2011)
I will conclude this chapter by giving the key principles that Korsmeyer talks about in the first part of her book. She divides disgust into two factions. Disgust can be visceral or moral, but moments where aesthetic disgust interests her the most are those which uncover and show the reality of human frailty By setting out these principles of disgust, they should help in giving context to the artworks and arguments which follow
In conclusion, to the question - what is the allure of the macabre about? Korsmeyer finds an answer in the meanings of disgust, and goes on to say:
“Disgust is a constant signifier of death.…Disgust is…a response to the transition between life and death” (2011, p. 122)
Chapter Two
Dante and Virgil by
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1850)
Fig.2.1 William-Adolphe Bouguereau, ‘Dante and Virgil’ (1850), oil on canvas, H: 280,5; L: 225,3 cm, image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris
“Dante and Virgil” is an oil on canvas painting by the French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau, completed in 1850 (Mullen, 2022). Bouguereau was a classically trained painter taking inspiration from the ancient Greeks and Italian Renaissance. Many of his paintings depict female nudes and classical subjects including this one, representing the moment where Dante and Virgil, as seen in the background, arrive in Purgatory and watch over the scene playing out between the two figures in the foreground
The painting is a detailed and almost exact depiction of Canto XXX of The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, a famous Florentine writer from the fourteenth century. It is taken from the
first part of the Divina Commedia, an epic poem. A tribute to Renaissance humanism but made palatable to Bouguereau audiences. The epic poem follows the journey of Dante and Virgil, an ancient Roman poet, through Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Heaven), in accordance with Christian descriptions. Cantos XVIII through to XXX, which describe the journey of these two characters and their ascension to heaven., are the ones pertinent to Bouguereau’s composition. What we see in this painting is Schicchi and Capocchio, two heretics in Circle XXX (Mullen, 2022)
“Bouguereau uses his classical training to beautifully paint a gruesome scene, while still preserving that line between academic art and impressionism.” (Mullen, 2022, p.15)
Bouguereau takes a narrative approach to depicting the scene, the subtlety of the gruesomeness taking direct references from Dante’s writing. He uses his academic training to subtly depict this macabre scene As Korsmeyer argues in her essay (Korsmeyer, 2011) “disgust can be given in small doses”, it doesn’t have to be an entire work of art, which completely disgusts the viewer and initiates the viewers revulsion or desire to avert their gaze, it can be administered in small doses
Bouguereau was known for depicting mythological and religious subjects, which may be the reason he decided to depict the inferno. (Diamante, 2024)
Below are the passages from which he took direct inspiration for this scene: Inferno, Canto XXX, 25-30 Petrocchi edition:
25 quant’ io vidi in due ombre smorte e nude,
26 che mordendo correvan di quel modo
27 che ’l porco quando del porcil si schiude.
28 L’una giunse a Capocchio, e in sul nodo
29 del collo l’assannò, sì che, tirando,
30 grattar li fece il ventre al fondo sodo.
Mandelbaum translation:
as were two shades I saw, both pale and naked, who, biting, ran berserk in just the way a hog does when it’s let loose from its sty.
The one came at Capocchio and sank his tusks into his neck so that, by dragging, he made the hard ground scrape against his belly.
(Digital Dante, 2024)
The painting garnered mixed reviews at the time, with these two figures at the front in an almost animalistic fight and because of its aggressive primal nature. In this, his third attempt at winning the Prix de Rome. Bouguereau demonstrates his painterly abilities for nudes and clothed figures alike (Mullen, 2022)
“Bouguereau depicted a horrifying scene with the beauty and elegance of a dance. It draws the viewer in with its carefully rendered figures and strength but gets them to stay through the horrifying subject.” (Mullen, 2022, p.14)
On Mullen’s comment describing this scene as a dance we are reminded of the “Danse Macabre”, dating back to 15th century France. Origins unclear, but from the first written sources and painted depictions, the themes of the “Danse Macabre” were popular at the time and have since permeated into music, film, tv and, of course, art Music and dancing were frowned upon by the church during medieval times, which is why folk tales, myths and stories such as sirens, mermaids, lorelai and angels came about around the same time. Tales of mermaids and sirens all used music, which could be heavenly but in a seductive, sinister and potentially lethal way. (Oosterwijk, S. and Knoll, S.A., 2011)
The “Danse Macabre” started as an allegorical poem, representing all people of all gender and class as the figure of Death represented by a Skeleton most of the time would pass each person dancing between them and with them, as if waltzing them to their demise.
“The danse is thus not just a dialogue but an interplay between the dead, the living, the author and the reader/viewer” (Oosterwijk, S. and Knoll, S.A., 2011, p.21)
Below are two examples of death dancing involving a parish priest and a peasant and the Pope and an Emperor. Taken from scans of the first depictions of a book by Guy Marchant from 1485 provided by the Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, France (Marchant, 1485).
Fig.2.3. Guy Marchant, ‘La Danse Macabre’, The Parish Priest and peasant (1485) Book
Image courtesy of Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, France
Fig.2.2 Guy Marchant, ‘La Danse Macabre’, The Pope and Emperor (1485). Book.
Image courtesy of Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, France
The dialogue we see in Bouguereau’s painting is not far from what was just mentioned The dance between the two heretics and the demons with hell in the background, meanwhile, the viewer watches over a dance between the viewer and the object.
I had the immense privilege and pleasure of viewing this artwork in person whilst on a study trip to Paris in third year in 2024. I found myself mesmerized by the morbid sensuality of this grandiose work of art. What I found most interesting about this work is the stark contrast between the beauty of the amazing brushwork and precision in the idealized bodies fighting in the foreground and the scenes of hell playing out in the background, with demons and demonic looking figures flying overhead. The two male bodies almost glistening in the light, which feels like it is coming from outside the painting itself.
It is curious that an artist, whose work was visually very far from dark or macabre, resorted to using these themes for a competition This highlights the power of the macabre and grotesque because of its ambiguity and the contrasting feelings it stirs up in us, especially when displayed on such a grand scale An impactful and ambitious work of art that ended
up winning him the Grand prix de Rome (Diamante, 2024) His earlier works did not go on to win but this work, with flying demon-like figures and damned souls did, and even after many centuries the skilfully painted imagery still has a powerful effect on the viewer today. The glistening, idealized bodies with their overemphasized muscles in the foreground take on the beautiful, whilst in contrast, we have the damned souls in the background, taking on the role of the macabre.
Interesting that an artist who had never painted in this style, in fact quite the opposite, was inclined to use this style to try and win over the jurors of the Grand Prix de Rome. It makes the viewer wonder what effect might it have had on the painter himself and why he won the prestigious competition with this painting in particular.
Finally, I would like to mention Korsmeyer’s work, where in a chapter of “The Foul and The Fair” she mentions that the contrast between the beautiful and the non-beautiful don’t separate aesthetic value from dis-value (Korsmeyer, 2011) She goes on to talk about the role of difficult art, emphasizing that art has the power to ponder the most painful subjects and for this reason it brings a certain clarity to the table. Highlighting the importance of difficult subjects within contemporary art.
Chapter Three
Painting by Francis Bacon (1946)
Fig. 3.1 Francis Bacon, ‘Painting 1946’ (1946), oil and pastel on linen, H: 197.8; L: 132.1 cm, image courtesy of Museum of Modern Art, New York © 2024 Estate of Francis Bacon / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London
Francis Bacon was an Irish born, English artist. Born in 1909 in Dublin His family moved to London when he was still very young Global events at the time and his not so smooth upbringing had a significant effect on his subject matter and the themes he chose to depict throughout his career (Zweite, 2006)
Painting 1946, Oil and pastel painting on linen was completed shortly after the end of the horrors of the Second World War. Images and videos of the horrific acts of the Third Reich were starting to circulate in the media and with the general public. (Bacon, 1946)
The painting depicts a figure with half a head, standing underneath an umbrella, the head consisting only of a mouth with bloody teeth. The image is characterized by different
shades of magenta and red. Surrounding the figure are carcasses of raw meat lying on what seems to be a rug on the floor. By some accounts, the large carcasses in the background of the painting allude to the imagery of the crucifixion, (which I will explore further ahead using S. Brent Plate’s essay Seeing the Body of Death (2002).
Some connect this image to the horrors of the war and dictatorship and the horror that mankind inflicts upon each other (Zweite, 2006) However, like many of Bacon’s paintings it stirs up a multitude of feelings and emotions. Many of these opposites have been represented in art for centuries before Bacon. One place is religion, and Christianity in particular is home to many macabre and grotesque customs. The images that Christianity has generated and continues to generate are somewhat powerful and used to ignite certain feelings amongst believers and followers of Christ. Take relics for example or catacombs or the “Danse Macabre” mentioned in Chapter Two. Christianity has no shortage of Macabre art As Durkheim says in “The elementary forms of the religious life” in 1915 –“Therefore the pure and impure are not two separate genera, but rather two varieties of the same genus that includes all sacred things. There are two kinds of sacred, one auspicious the other inauspicious. And not only is there no discontinuity between the two forms, but the same object can pass from one to the other without changing its nature. The pure can be made impure, and vice versa. The possibility of these transmutations accounts for the ambiguity of the sacred ” (Durkheim,2008, p.306)
Bacon repeatedly used religious motifs within his work, combining the idea of pure and impure The feelings conjured up by Bacon’ s paintings still leave people wondering to this day what the real meaning or message was behind the artist’s work.
Part of the attraction of the grotesque is exactly this idea that it can stir opposing and contrasting emotions within us simultaneously, and it is this beauty, which can be found in some of the world’s most powerful art. Contrasting emotions, which leave us more confused when we leave the artwork than when we arrived. It leaves us with unanswered questions rather than answers.
Bacon’s attraction to flesh and raw meat was also a recurring motif in his work. For “meat” was, in his words, a marvellous subject matter (Sylvester, 1966). One could go into a store and walk down, as he called it the halls of death, where dead birds, fish, cows and pigs all
lay there. For him, raw meat, and in this case, relating to Painting 1946, carcasses, were reminiscent of the crucifixion. As Bacon said in an interview with David Sylvester in 1966 –“When you go into a butcher’s shop and see how beautiful meat can be and then you think about it, you can think of the whole horror of life, of one thing living off another.” (Sylvester, 1966)
Speaking of crucifixion, Christianity and the macabre go hand in hand, we only need to look at the tradition of mummification and catacombs across Europe; relic cult, or bodypart reliquaries, one of the most intriguing and fascinating characteristics of Western Christianity in the Middle ages to see how the obsession with death pervades not only artistic fields but also religious as well (Bynum, 1997).
One particular Christian saint forms an interesting link between Bacon’s work, Christianity and butchery (and in turn raw meat). Saint Bartholomew, one of Jesus’s twelve Apostles, who was skinned alive for converting a king to Christianity and is now the patron saint of butchers’ and tanners (Sladitz, 1954, p.425) There is a cross over with the saintly nature of this figure with his flayed skin, in many depictions hanging away from his body, reminiscent of Bacon’ s disfigured faces and the role that skin itself plays in his paintings, which I will develop further ahead. But I will leave this quote By Sladitz from his journal article in “Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences” .
Those of the upper-arm have grown to such an extent that they resemble the ruff of a dress rather than muscles. Those of the legs wind around him like ribbons, ending in what seem to be socks instead of the bones of the foot. His poor skin hangs like a scarf with its drab fringes dragging along the knee (Sladitz, 1954, p.424)
Carcass of an Ox by Rembrandt, 1655 (Fig.3.2.) is a painting depicting the carcass of an ox hanging up in an interior. S. Brent Plate makes some interesting points regarding Rembrandt’s painting’s role in Francis Bacon’s work. In his essay he describes this painting as a representation of the liminal space between life/death, subject/object, human/animal, food/consumption. This painting can be found hanging in the still life section of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow and inhabits a space of conventional still lives. Plate in his essay “Seeing the Body of Death: Sacrifice and Giving in Rembrandt’s The
Slaughtered Ox.” (Plate, 2002) examines the meanings and complexities of this painting in relation to Bacon’s work.
Fig.3.2 Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, The Carcass of an Ox (Slaughtered Ox) (1655), oil on board, H: 51.7; L: 73.3 cm, image courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow.
Still life painting such as this, has been known as a genre to depict decay, transience, loss and ultimately mortality, even though, flowers and fruit are a prettier version. This version of still life goes to the extreme of that, almost celebrating slaughter like many game piece artworks. In her third chapter, Korsmeyer talks about disgust in relation to food. In this specific instance she gives examples of all different sorts of still lives, however, the slaughtered animals present in the paintings are the works that really emphasize the topics of loss, transience and death the most. Her theory is that especially with the description or representation in this case, of meat, the slaughter is something that is recognizable to us as viewers. The more elements that make the figure recognizable for what it is in the stage prior to slaughter, the more it feels repulsive. Because we don’t associate it with just meat, or just a piece of food that is in turn enjoyable. We associate it with life, the animal that was still running around, full of life, and subsequently the slaughter, decay, death and all the sights and smells associated with it. (Korsmeyer, 2011, p.61-86)
I would now like to talk briefly about Van Alphen’s essay “Skin, Body, Self: the question of the abject in the work of Francis Bacon” (2016) in which he argues whether Bacon’s
paintings should be considered abject works of art by referring to the skin as an example. Skin from a psychoanalytic point of view, skin as a protector and container. That which protects us from external abject occurrences, and within Bacon’s paintings the figures have already transgressed the boundaries of the self, they are already in a state of abject. Therefore, in this sense, they don’t suffer from a loss of self but are already in an abject condition and are whole as such (Van Alphen, 2016).
Van Alphen explains Bacon’s positions as stated in an interview with Sylvester in the 80’s that Bacon’s paintings have often been referred to as abject because of this idea of the loss of self. The skin as mentioned above, in Bacon’s paintings is something that doesn’t contain as it is distorted and creates these distorted faces, so removing the idea of the skin being something that contains or protects, his paintings are lacking in boundaries, which is why they have been associated with the abject, but Van Alphen also suggests that for this reason the figures are already lost to start with.
“Their abject condition is privileged above the wholeness of a contained self.’’ (Plate, 2002, p.127)
We can draw similarities between the two paintings above and recall the hind legs of the ox as the arms of Jesus. Without signifying characteristics such as the head for example, we, the viewers are inclined to read more into this than just an Ox. The boundaries between the bodily fluids and the clean orderly society is kept separate and in check within the painting. The skin, eyes and entrails are placed on the floor to the right of the painting. The religiousness of this painting is evident, indeed, of both paintings is evident. Just as this painting does, Bacon continues to interrogate the viewer, erasing the borders between human and animal, subject and object and crucifixion and slaughter, sight and smell. Boundaries are what are being sacrificed, and thus is immanent. (Plate, 2002) We can never truly escape the ultimate demise of oneself.
Chapter Four
Grotto by Bart Hess (2015)
Fig.4.1. Bart Hess, ‘Grotto’ (2015), hanging latex installation, image courtesy of Bart Hess
Bart Hess is a Dutch designer A graduate of Eindhoven school of Art in 2007. Hess often works with high tech materials, experimenting with the combination of textures, technology and the human body. He gained fame through a slime dress made for Lady Gaga, exploring the medium of slime as a conduit for birth and alien creatures. Hess works at the crossroads between design, fashion and visual arts. He first created this installation in 2015. Hess was inspired by 17th century Dutch mannerist painters as well as grotesque depictions from the Italian Renaissance, spanning painting architecture and sculpture. (Hess, 2024) Hess uses the body in a lot of his work, and explores the space between beauty and disgust or horror. He also works with video and other materials, “Flirting with a touch of the grotesque and the macabre, he explains that he tries ‘to find a balance between beauty and disgust or horror’” Text by Philip Fimmano taken from the publication “Fetishism in Fashion” (Hess, 2024)
Like grotesque, sixteenth century depictions, the impossibilities and the pursuit of defying logic and going outside of what is possible was central to grotesque art at the time, so does Hess’s. Reminiscent of Kristeva’s abject, being that which sits outside of social norms and puts identity and the self in danger. It is disruptive and represents the horrors of the human existence.
The grotesque has always been viewed as a peripheral art form just like the study of disgust within art (as mentioned in Chapter One), which Korsmeyer discusses, I will be looking at a series of essays, which delve into the grotesque as an art form and its importance and relevance to contemporary art relating it to Hess’s work.
“Grotto” plays on the eerie and wonderful nooks and crannies that could have been found in Renaissance grottos. The word “Grotto” , comes from the Italian, meaning cave, or Grottesche, for the style deriving from the 15th century rediscovery of Roman grotesque art. During the 15th century many artists rediscovered this art form after the uncovering of the Domus Aurea of Roman emperor Nero. This new found love for the grotesque didn’t come without its controversies, but nonetheless, was popular in Europe, especially in Italy For the purpose of my research, I will focus on the garden grottos of the Florentine Renaissance era, as it relates to the type of experience a viewer would have whilst entering a gallery space to view Bart Hess’s work pictured above Full of weird, horror-esque, scary, monstrous, hybrids of animals, cross overs between different species creating these creatures. Hess’s Grotto reenacts this sense of discovery, as if going into a cave or 15th century Italian grotto. (Hammeken, 2019)
Associate Professor of Art History and Theory at Monash University and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Luke Morgan, gives us a glimpse into the rediscovery of what we have come to know as Grottos. The phenomenon happened around 1480. Even tho’ the Renaissance period inherited many fantastic and monstrous motifs from the Medieval period, during the 15th century numerous artists would venture down into Emperor Nero’s Domus Aurea to study the many depictions and frescos on the ceilings. The name “Grotto” itself came about because these buildings were at the time, under ground level and you would’ve had to have crawled in to view the fantastical figures, monstrous beings and metamorphoses of creatures painted on the walls by
candlelight. Grotesque style motifs became popular in the Italian peninsula during the Renaissance, some of the most popular of the time were the ones painted in various sections of the Vatican, executed by the school of Raphael. The main subject matter of Grottesche (in Italy) in the 15th century was the “[…]state of transition and its varied manifestations in the metamorphosis of matter, the hybridization of bodies, and the ludic interactions of art and nature.” (Morgan, 2019, p.74)
Below are some examples of grotesque, garden architecture in the Boboli Gardens, Florence. The Grotta Grande by Bernardo Buontalenti designed and constructed between 1551 and 1587
Fig. 4.2 Bernardo Buontalenti, interior of first room, Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta di Buontalenti) (1551-1587), image courtesy of Uffizi Galleries, Florence.
Fig. 4.3. Bernardo Buontalenti, outside view, Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta di Buontalenti) (1551-1587), image courtesy of Uffizi Galleries, Florence.
Debates in the sixteenth century arose about the validity of the monstrous designs, in art but also in landscape design. Whether they were purely decorative or had philosophical meaning behind them. Lack of credibility and naturalism, depraved and a sick man’s dream are just some of the opinions of the time regarding Grottesche This discussion fed into the wider area of study of aesthetics at the time. (Morgan,2019)
These Renaissance gardens were often referred to as dissonant symphonies as Morgan explains. He recalls the words of Renaissance architect and antiquarian Ligorio, who explains these designs as a duality of the beautiful and horrifying:
’ This dramatic duality of pleasure and horror, in which the Arcadian delights of the landscape are heightened by occasional moments of fear or violence – however stylized or formulaic - recalls Ligorio’s characterization of grottesche decoration as a dissonant symphony.’ (Morgan, 2019, p.84)
Despite contrasting opinions, some for and some against the motifs and style of the grotesque, the two stances remained and to some extent still carry through into today. Some regarded the grottesche as deviant, something outside of nature and what was considered acceptable. Others viewed the grotesque as artistic licence and embodiment of the freedom of the artist and the creativity of nature at play (Morgan, 2019)
Morgan quotes Frances S. Connely describing her thoughts on the idea of the grotesque within a 16th century Italian Renaissance context, saying that ‘the grotesque is a boundary creature and does not exist except in relation to a boundary, convention or expectation.’ (Morgan, Connelly, 2019)
Despite controversies, the grotesque was still used in imagery and in Renaissance garden landscaping. Social-cultural attitudes influenced what was considered as monstrous. This is as valid today as it was in 16th century Italy. There is a time and place for the grotesque. ‘Like the grotesque, it required a normative standard against which monsters could be defined as deviating.’ (Morgan, p.90)
Where every nook would have a hidden, surprise waiting in store, Hess uses stretched latex to form columns, resembling wrinkled skin. At first, giving a sense of unease but, in turn intriguing the viewer. The metamorphoses that Hess’s bodily formations go through, material echoing the figures in the background of Bouguereau’s paintings. The altered shapes and textures creating something other than the body, pushing the body outside of its limits. An abject body reminiscent of Kristeva’s abject.
Through latex, slime, paper, needles, wax and other materials, Hess explores the body, its limits and how far you can take things. His work can be experimental. Starting with an investigation into the material itself or the concept first. Having worked on many projects with well-known personalities, such as Lady Gaga, Aphex Twin, Iris Van Herpen and Nick Knight. Hess has made a name for himself and has attracted attention. He works with
video, sound and installation work mainly and his works are about capturing the materials which at times can be transient.
The specific piece in my research, “Grotto” doesn’t directly use the human body, but through the manipulation of latex, achieves a material resembling wrinkled skin.
Hess often works with high tech materials, experimenting with the combination of textures, technology and the human body. He gained fame through a slime dress made for Lady Gaga, exploring the medium of slime as a conduit for birth and alien creatures.
“It is this boundary between the physical and digital world that I search for in my work. The digital world gives me a new view of reality, one that is boundary-free, fluid, neither material nor immaterial. “ (Current Obsession, 2014)
Hess states that the darker side of beauty has less restrictions because it hasn't been explored that much, which makes it more interesting for him to show to his audiences. (Hess, 2024). A lot of his work receives mixed reactions he says, as it creates these contrasting emotions in people. They’re not sure whether they should touch it or stay away from it. This recalls Korsmeyer’s theories on disgust, the idea that disgust can be distributed in small doses. The idea that disgusting or macabre art can be the most powerful because it has the ability to spark a conversation on difficult subject matter and bring it into a space where it can be seen as beautiful, profound, disgusting, macabre and grotesque all at the same time.
Hess is not only experimenting with new materials, he is looking to the future. His work crosses boundaries, combining design, fashion, visual art and textile art. in an interview with Dazed magazine he says that even tho’ there is much research behind his work, it almost doesn’t matter as he’s designing into the future, imagining the future, which still doesn’t exist (Dazed, 2013)
I found Hess to be interesting for a number of reasons, he is contemporary, yes, but he goes past that and looks into the future. His work is merging new materials and creating new body landscapes to explore. Adding to the human form, adding something that is
outside the body and then exploring how to merge the two. Hess himself sometimes isn’t sure whether to think a piece of work is beautiful or ugly. He mentions in an interview from an essay by Philip Fimmano, that the darker side of beauty has less restrictions as it hasn’t been explored as much, similarly to the aesthetics of disgust, which I mention in Chapter One, not having been explored enough by philosophers in the field of aesthetics. Simply because it wasn’t deemed as valid enough or important enough to be studied in depth.
Hess says in an interview in his book – “Future Bodies” made for the exhibition of the 10th anniversary of his work, that he tries to create doubt and uncertainty in the viewer’s mind, so all sorts of questions start popping up and the viewer isn’t sure whether to initiate their fight or flight response. His work moves slowly, giving the viewer a sense of doubt. Our primal instincts still think that there might be something scary in the corner. Whenever something raises questions and we’re not quite sure what they might be or indeed, why the materials are behaving in that way, in Hess’s case, it activates this side of our brains. Our imagination starts to run wild and might become overstimulated. The loss of control brings fear with it (Bass, 2017)
The way Hess talks about the reactions to his work, it seems that there is an idea that the viewer crosses a boundary and let’s go, crosses a line to be able to experience his work, in Kristeva’s words a loss of the self (Kristeva, 1995), entering a world of grotesque, macabre materials, oozing slime, spiky needles and futuristic beings.
For the exhibition 10th anniversary, Hess’s work starts off with two rooms, which elicit different feelings, then in the third room you get to the Grotto, installed as pictured above. It is a place where people can pause. Hess allows viewers to touch and sit on the installation, to immerse themselves in the artwork and feel it for themselves, so in a certain sense, every person will have a different, individual experience of the piece. Getting to sit on wrinkled latex skin for yourself must be an extraordinary experience. (Bass, 2017)
The human body is a running theme throughout Hess’s work, whether directly or indirectly. Strong feelings are elicited in his performances or video works. These might be stronger than other works of art, simply because we all inhabit a human body, and in that sense, we see ourselves in the model performing. We can almost feel what the model is feeling and like Bourgeau’ s two fighting bodies and Bacon’s carcasses of meat, there are
elements within all of the artworks that reflect us as humans and that is what elicits strong feelings of disgust (Dutch Profiles, 2012)
Conclusion
This dissertation set out to discuss the allure that the macabre has had throughout history. Through Bouguereau, Bacon and Hess I examined how the macabre and the grotesque have been used for centuries. In Chapter One I delved into ‘Savouring Disgust’ by Carolyn Korsmeyer (2011) to present her theories on the validity of disgust in art, arguing against previous theories by Kant and his contemporaries that disgust was but a visceral emotion and could not metamorphosize into a beautiful work of art. I present Korsmeyer’s take on the validity of this genre, bringing into the discussion, Kristeva’s Abject (1995) and how these all form an interesting discussion on the aesthetic value of macabre art, briefly touching upon Freud to argue the two sides of aesthetic judgment. In Chapter Two I set out to critically analyse ‘Dante and Virgil’ by Bouguereau (1850) where I examined the themes depicted by the artist and what may have influenced his choices, relating his painting back to the 15th century allegorical poem “La Danse Macabre” . Referring to this artwork, I analysed the impact of the macabre on artists’ choices in the 1850’s and the macabre influences of the church. In Chapter Three I critically analysed “Painting 1946” by Francis Bacon (1946) After outlining Julia Kristeva’s theories on the abject I put forward theories of whether Bacon’s work can really be considered abject and why. Critically analysing another piece of work by Rembrandt, as a major influence on Bacon’s work but also highlighting the crossovers of macabre and grotesque themes to convey some of the most powerful emotions, especially for Bacon, after a time of turmoil for the entire world. In Chapter Four I step into the present day critically analysing ‘Grotto’ by Bart Hess (2015), looking into how a contemporary artist is tackling themes of disgust, grotesque and macabre with new and futuristic mediums. Looking back at Italian 16th century Grotesque, garden architecture I once again highlight the use of themes of monstruous and hybridised creatures in art, forming a genre that, inspired by the Romans and Medieval times, took off and was once again very popular among the elite classes. Relating an artist looking into the future of body design to past artists using many of the same concepts. This dissertation has looked at different time periods and analyses theories from a selection of theorist to conclude that the macabre and the grotesque has been a powerful tool throughout the centuries to convey some of the most painful and powerful subject matter The power that the macabre holds is greater than previously suggested. As
uncomfortable as it can make us feel, it is imperative that we do not ignore it and it will never fail to draw us in.
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