"The Ugly Side of Renaissance" Beauty, a New Book by Alexander Lee

THE STAR

PUBLISHING---Alexander Lee, author of the book "The Ugly Renaissance: Sex, Greed, Violence and Depravity in an Age of Beauty" has spent most of his adulthood studying the periods of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He lectures in early modern history at Oxford University. It certainly isn’t a surprise to anyone that there was prejudice and depravity in the Renaissance; it has been a constant feature in history. However, what I really wanted to show was the idea that from the 14th century onwards we can see a dynamic relationship between ugliness in the brutish sense of the word and artistic creation. [link]