In this blog post, we will examine the criteria for defining artworks and the significance of philosophical shifts, focusing on Arthur Danto’s theory of ‘the end of art.’
Arthur Danto, a leading theorist and critic of contemporary art philosophy, declared the end of art.
He found the inspiration for this claim at Andy Warhol’s ‘Brillo Boxes’ exhibition held at the Stable Gallery in Manhattan in 1964. Danto began to explore the essence of art by noting that Warhol’s work ‘Brillo Boxes’ was perceptually indistinguishable from Brillo boxes sold in supermarkets.
Through Warhol’s ‘Brillo Boxes,’ Danto explored why one of two identical or similar objects is an everyday object and the other is a work of art. As a result, he concluded that in order for an object to be a work of art, it must have two essential elements: “aboutness” and ‘embodiment.’ Here, ‘aboutness’ refers to the content or meaning, that is, the theme intended by the artist, while ‘embodiment’ refers to the expression of that theme through an appropriate medium or in an effective manner. Therefore, according to Danto, a work of art must have a theme that can be interpreted.
Later, through his reflection on the history of art, Danto introduced the concept of the “art world”, arguing that if Warhol’s “Brillo Boxes” had appeared much earlier than 1964, they would not have been recognised as works of art. The ‘art world’ he refers to is a system that encompasses the knowledge, theories, and attitudes that dominate the contemporary art scene and are necessary for identifying an object as a work of art. The 1964 ‘Brillo Box’ was able to gain status as a work of art because of a new belief system that allowed objects that resemble everyday objects to be recognised as works of art.
Danto argued that the history of art should be understood as a kind of ‘narrative.’ As with history, art history has a narrative that selects events considered important from among countless artistic events and organises their connections. The so-called ‘Bazaar narrative,’ which continued from the Renaissance to Impressionism, is a representative example. Bazaar, whose central theory was imitation, believed that accurate reproduction that provides vivid visual experiences is the purpose and driving force of art. However, Bazaar’s narrative began to be shaken to its core by the advent of photography and film, as well as cultural challenges from non-Western societies. In this situation, artists of the time began to ask questions such as ‘What is art?’ and ‘What should art do?’ As a result, art moved away from imitation and became a philosophical narrative. In this situation, Danto, who viewed art history as a history of progress in which art sought its own essence, found the end of art in Warhol’s ‘Brillo Box.’
Danto’s theory of the end of art, triggered by ‘Brillo Boxes,’ does not claim that art can no longer exist, but rather that art has reached a philosophical stage and that the previous narrative has come to an end. In this sense, his theory of the end of art can be interpreted as an optimistic outlook rather than a tragic declaration. Through his theory of the end of art, Danto proclaimed the arrival of a period in which art has no specific direction to pursue and no tasks to accomplish, in other words, a period of liberation for art.
