Beauty deserves all attention and interest. This study, unjustly, embraces ugliness by bringing it out of its supposed shadowy existence. It reveals an attraction that has inspired artists across all eras to depict it. But what is considered ugly? This work traces the concept of ugliness from antiquity to the Baroque period through various media. Drawing on a materialistic art theory, it aims to show how and why the understanding of ugliness has changed and what interactions arise between art and the social environment. To illustrate the transformation, as well as the parallels across different eras, the image of the devil serves as a guiding motif, representing personified evil and vividly embodying ugliness. This work operates within an interdisciplinary framework of comparative literary studies, art, philosophy, and history. Scholars and interested readers are introduced to the topic through this richly illustrated study, bringing them closer to the fascination of the ugly.