"The painting" in Rekdal's "Wax"

The Death of Marat

Jacques-Louis David

Not my week to post, so this is just a question to send out rhetorically... both the painting above and Rekdal's poem make me wonder whether it is possible to create beautiful art from ugly subject matter. I found "Wax" to be horrific and almost unreadable, but obviously skillfully composed. It's a jarring combination!