by Umberto Eco
First published 2007
From the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe to the avant-garde paintings of the modern era, "On Ugliness" excavates the shadowy corners where beauty's dark twin has taken root. Renowned thinker Umberto Eco guides readers on a richly illustrated journey, exploring how our concepts of the ugly, the deformed, and the abhorrent have evolved across cultures and centuries. Whether confronting the monstrous gargoyles of Notre-Dame or the provocative canvases of Goya, this book reveals the power of the repulsive to both terrify and captivate the human mind.
Genres: 20th-century, non-fiction, 21st-century, art-history, cultural-studies
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, historical
Setting: Europe, Notre-Dame
Period: Medieval, Modern
455 pages · Hardcover · Harvil Secker