Artists and true art lovers only: are art and beauty inseparable?

Question

What follows is an excerpt from a previous answer, one I can respect:

"Art is an expression of feeling, an outpouring of the soul, if you will. As feelings are not always beautiful nor even socially acceptable, so it is with art as well. My guess is that for much of humankind beautiful feelings number less than 50% of all feelings. Would you want to quell all of the larger portion of human feeling just because it is not beautiful?"

In my heart I respect but cannot accept this answer. Many of the feelings in West Side Story were hateful, vengeful, and destructive. Yet the film is both beautiful and a great work of art.

Do you agree with the previous answer or with me? I am less interested in your yes or no than in your explanation of your answer. I sincerely wish to continue to study this issue of art and beauty.

Answer 1

Beauty, just as art, is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 2

Beauty is very subjective (in the eye of the beholder etc.) but does not stimilate intellectually or often times emotionally.  We look at something of beauty and say "That's beautiful" - for what else is there to say about it?  Art is more provocative and tends to stimulate the intellect and the emotions, and for that reason can be universal.  Maybe.

Answer 3

No, they're not inseparable.  There are many beautiful things which aren't art (much of nature, for instance, is beautiful but is not art until someone *makes* it art), and there is much art which is moving and thoughtful, but is not beautiful.

Answer 4

Not all art is "beautiful". It's not meant to be. Art should provoke feelings or thought in the viewer. See? No Platitudes.

Answer 5

No art isn't always beautiful.  Just as truth is not beauty, neither is art.  But just because it's art doesn't mean you have to like it or patronize it.  Everyone has tastes.