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On The Beautiful, The Sublime, The Pretty, and the Ugly, Part 1 (maybe)

Grotesque head by Leonardo da Vinci

Last semester I used my blog as a platform to think through a project I was working on entitled Five Evangelical Christs. It was a six part series which allowed me to think through ideas that turned into a more developed paper . I really enjoyed the process and got some great feedback, though more of that feedback was written on Facebook than showed up directly on this blog.

I think I will do something this semester in connection with my Philosophical Aesthetics class. I’ve decided that my big paper will be a systematic look at the concepts of the Beautiful and the Sublime. But, as I’ve been thinking this through, I believe I need to include two additional concepts: the Pretty and the Ugly.

The relationship of Beauty, Sublime, Pretty, and Ugly.

Beauty and Sublime both have a long history. Typically, they are set in opposition to each other. I, on the other hand, have a slightly different conception. The basis of my idea isn’t without historical precedent, but that is for another blog post…maybe. My conception has overlapping areas as illustrated with the above Venn diagram. In some ways the diagram is misleading. For example, I don’t believe that the majority of beauty is free of the pretty, sublime, and ugly. But, this is the best way I have, so far, been able to visualize my concept. Please feel free to make suggestions on  this.

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Baptist College Bans Nudity in Art Instruction: Louisiana College’s President, Joe Aguillard…Nudity is a No No

Michelangelo's David
"Unacceptable" at Louisiana College
“Unacceptable” at Louisiana College. David by Michelangelo, 1501-04

Louisiana Colleges president promptly responded to my letter sent to his faculty this morning. I believe his response is very telling in both what he addresses and what he does not. (See his full response at the end of this post)

First what  he doesn’t address:

Dr. Aguillard fails to address his blatant violation of copyright law in his reproducing and showing an image which he does not have permission to reproduce or show. He illegally confiscated the painting from the student who painted it in 2011. When the student and her mother attempted to get the painting back, he refused to return the painting until he could have the painting photographed by his lawyer for ‘legal purposes’. Apparently, those legal purposes include disparaging former faculty in faculty meetings.

(ETA: I’ve been informed that Dr. Aguillard is taking this illegal full size reproduction to show to preachers around the state. He does not have authorization from the copyright holder to do this. Unfortunately, the only recourse against this behavior is a restraining order and Dr. Aguillard has shown a willingness to throw the budget of Louisiana College behind his legal defense. A poor young college graduate does not have the financial resources to fight such illegal and unethical behavior on the part of a college president.)

"Unacceptable" at Louisiana College
“Unacceptable” at Louisiana College. Discobolous by Myron 460-450 BC

He also fails to address that Dr. Scott Culpepper had no link to the painting. The attempt to tie him to the painting was pure unadulterated maliciousness. Dr. Culpepper’s “sin” is merely that he is a friend of mine who also believes Dr. Aguillard’s presidency is filled with ethical and educational failings. He had no part with the painting. Dr. Aguillard connecting him to the painting is a pure attempt at slander.

He did not address that when I interviewed at LC. I was clear that I wanted to bring nude figure studies to LC with the same controls as are used at the respected evangelical institution, Gordon College. I should add that I also included some nude work in my image portfolio when I applied and included nude work in my lecture during the interview. There was ample opportunity for Dr. Aguillard to inform me of his position during the interview process. Instead, the only time he stood against students making such work (he did stand against displaying it in the gallery) was after I wrote a letter notifying the college constituency of moral failings at the school. It makes one wonder.

Now for what he did address:

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Louisiana College: Outgoing Vice President Tim Johnson Writes Letter Against President Aguillard

Tim Johnson

tim-johnsonThe tragic Whistleblower controversy at Louisiana College has centered around two Vice Presidents, Tim Johnson and Chuck Quarles, who filed a complaint against President Aguillard. Both are currently still under contract with the College, for a few more days at least, and College policy prevents them from speaking to the press. However, the Town Talk has discovered a letter written by Tim Johnson to the board of Trustees where he continues his assertion that Dr. Aguillard has behaved unethically. Additionally, he alleges that Dr. Aguillard violated the Colleges Whistleblower policy in relation to him. Johnson also points out what I, and others, have been saying for months, Calvinism is not the issue it is a distraction.

Tim Johnson also points out that “It is tragic that the only avenue for reporting issues involving the President is a Whistleblower Policy.” There is significant irony here since employees at Louisiana College did not even know about the Whistleblower policy at LC. The faculty and staff were not notified about the policy when it was passed in 2009 and it was not included in the faculty handbook. As a result before Johnson and Quarles learned about the policy there was no recourse for informing the board about issues with the Presidents behavior which is why I had to resort to an open letter to the board.

One of the most ironic statements in Johnson’s letter is:

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Louisiana College: When Despots Win

Joe Aguillard in a suit with his hand in his pocket

To be honest, I’ve been trying to step away from the issues at Louisiana College. I am now two years removed from my affiliation with LC and while I have tried to be a voice …

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