A Critique Of The End Of Art

The end of art is a hot topic, going with the development of western modernization. Probably starting from 18th century, the western societies have experienced a transformation from traditional pattern to modern one, and even post-modern pattern. Correspondingly, western art also has transformed from the traditional art to the modern art, and the post-modern art. Thus, the form, significance and status of western art have experienced three historic turns, namely, romantic art, modern art and post-modern art. These three artistic transitions result in the topic of the end of art, and Hegel, Adorno and Danto respectively represent the three different kinds of tendency of the end of art. Therefore, this dissertation mainly studies these thoughts of the end of art and tries to clear up the historical evolution of the end of art, which is truly advantageous to know the artistic activity as well as the relationship between the art and the philosophy, art and the artistic history. This dissertation mainly uses "the historical narrative" to study the thoughts of end of art, and makes use of the organic perspective of the "philosophy -history-art" to deeply investigate the background and the text in order to analyze the origins and the different connotations of the end of art. Furthermore, we can make a critical reflection on such thoughts. This dissertation elaborates on such an issue, dividing into four chapters.The first chapter mainly studies Hegel's thought of the end of art. To Hegel, "the end of art" comes from his theoretical background. He is famous for the rigorousness and completeness of his philosophical system. In his seeking truth, the art is finally substituted by the philosophy. From the Hegel's views of end of art, we think it approximately has such three meanings: first, art is no longer the highest need to human spirit which has already transferred to the idealistic world of religion and philosophy; second, following the transition from classical art to romantic art, his ideal art is disintegrated; third, he believes that the modern civil society brings all sorts of disadvantageous to the art, as a result of which art is facing a crisis that is the representation of civil society. By explaining these three propositions, this chapter further analyzes the inherent contradictions of his theory, and thus points out that the end of art certainly does not mean the death of art. The end of art only indicates. one kind of dilemma of art that is exactly the unconscious representation of human dilemma of their survival.The second chapter mainly studies Adorno's thoughts of the end of art. Facing with the context of cultural dilemma and the crisis of art coming from technical and commercial society, he puts forward the end of art by means of the reflection of reason. To him, along with the development of instrumental reason, the art that undertakes the responsibility of freedom and critique is actually developed from two directions: on the one hand, the mass culture prospers with the new kinds of media; on the other hand, the modern art is withered as a result of the crisis of expression. Facing with this kind of artistic crisis, he considers that the popular art has been commercialized and has already lost the intrinsic function of denial and critique, and therefore he criticizes the cultural industry. At the same time, he pins his hope on the "anti- art" to undertake aesthetic salvation. To some extent, this is the main thesis of the end of art. Therefore, he attempts to pursue a stronger "truth" so as to provide strength for the art, but this kind "truth" is completely different from the "truth" of Hegel.The third chapter mainly investigates Danto's thoughts of the end of art which ties up with the practice of art. Since the 1960s, the movements of art, the events of art, the behaviors of art, the forms of art make people cannot help thinking about "what is art" philosophically. In contrast to Hegel who deduces the end of art from the philosophy, Danto induces the topic from the "phenomenology of art". When the art rises to the philosophical consciousness, it means that the grand narrative is over, which makes a decisive turn of significance and art gaining its own philosophical status. Then, Danto alleges that art ends, and the history of art also ends. But, he thinks such an end is not the death of art but only an end of the narrative mode of the history of art. Therefore, the artwork also can continue to exist, but does not have the historical direction and significance. Art exists in an age of freedom, equality, multi-dimension. Based on the previous three chapters, the fourth chapter makes a further description and analysis of the theory of art that relates to the topic of the end of art. Although the theoretical connotations are actually different among Hegel, Adorno and Danto, they all share a same basic question of "what is art". In other words, when they cannot explain the "new" phenomena of art from a point of view of "traditional" concepts of art, they propose theory of the end of art. But, if we look from the perspective of historical narrative and grasp the artistic existence from the relationship between the history of art and philosophy as well as the evolutive history of concepts of art, the theory of the end of art is only an in-depth mechanism to reply the crisis of art. This kind way of reply itself is impossible to make art die out, but makes the "anti-tradition" become a kind of "neo- tradition", makes "anti- art" become a kind of "neo-art". This kind of new tradition and art cannot escape the fate of being denied. In a sense, art itself cannot come to an end (death), and even the dispute of the end of art also cannot stop. When art goes into a critical turning point, the dispute of the end of art maybe takes place again, which is exactly an opportunity or a kind of impulse making the art develop unceasingly. If humanity does not die out, the history cannot die out, and the art itself cannot end (die out).