How To Refine Art

Arthur Danto, as one of the most important contemporary art philosophers, has conducted a systematic and thorough investigation of art activity, particularly modern avant-garde art practice with the ideas he critically appropriated from German classical aesthetic thought and analytic philosophy. He proposes his own original and insightful theory of "artworld", develops critical thinking on "the end of the art", and renews a call for highlighting museum functions, which have drawn wide and continuous attention from the art and philosophy circles. His art theory has not only provided a foundation for the legitimate defense of avant-garde art practice that surged through20th century, but further created a new theoretical perspective for surveying avant-garde art. After the rise of avant-garde, great changes have taken place on the forms and contents of western art, so Danto attempts to put forward some theoretical elaborations on the avant-garde art practice and give further analysis of various art phenomena in post-historical period of art. More importantly, his theory of "the end of the art" is not to be limited by conventions; instead, by taking the theoretical stand of historicism, Danto keeps on holding dialogues with and deciphering these art practices, as a result of which, it has afforded us an instructive frame of reference to help us better understand the possibility of how art exists in the contemporary social conditions.This dissertation attempts to comprehend and grasp the internal logic of Danto’s philosophy of art from the angle of art definition. For me, the key issue in reinterpreting Danto’s theory is art defining. In other words, all the important issues in Danto’s art theory are dealing with how art can be defined at different levels; in a sense, his theoretical interpretations can be understood as finding ways to solve the problem of defining art from different aspects and levels. His artworld theory is to make inquiries for what art is for art by borrowing fundamental strategies from analytic philosophy. His "the end of art theory", based on Hegel’s aesthetics, gives a theoretical reflection on the possibility of art from the traditional aesthetic viewpoint of the end of art. Moreover, his philosophical thinking on art phenomena after the end of art responds directly to how art can be understood in light of the present situation of art practice. In considering of social conditions of defining art, his theory of museum discusses the way to define art with filtering mechanisms in the museum. Besides, his surveying and mapping on Chinese art is a significant trial for defining art under non-western circumstance. To sum up, how to define art is the key question in Danto’s art theory, and thus chosen as the starting point for my research and the framework for organizing the thesis.This paper is divided into three parts with five chapters. The details are summarized as follows:The first part is served as a preface to the thesis, introducing not only the aim and significance of choosing this topic, but also the subject, scope, methods and ideas of this research to show the necessity and feasibility of the work. It cannot be denied that many researchers at home or abroad have made fruitful achievements on Danto with sufficient arguments from different aspects, some of which have given a general introduction to Danto while others are focused on elaborating specific theory and layers of quotations. But taking a panoramic view of the domestic and foreign research status, it is found that no one has grasped Danto’s philosophy of art from the definition of art. Thus we can expect a clear and full understanding of Danto’s philosophy of art from the aspect of defining art.The main body of the thesis is the second part, consisting of five chapters, which are mutually independent and correlated by logic.Chapter one focuses on how post-modern art practice has challenged traditional art definition and thus clarifies the cultural context in which Danto’s theoretical revolution has been carried out. According to imitation hypothesis since the ancient Greek times, expression theory, formalism, and reception aesthetics, whether they are outside world-centered, author-centered, work-centered, or reader-centered, all these theories hold that the internal unity can be identified in the essential nature of art, thus art defining becomes possible. Nevertheless, with the rising of the art practice of Duchamp and Andy Warhol, the traditional way to define art has been confronted with unprecedented crises and austere challenges and is incapable of interpreting new art practice. Because of this, new art theory is expected to come to brace the new art practice, which calls for Danto’s theory reform.Chapter two is devoted to Danto’s artworld theory, which has revolutionized our way to define art. Before Danto, people used to prescribe the nature of art to tell us why art is considered to be art; or take works of art in the past as the model for judging whether modern objects are art. Stephen Davis divides art definitions prior to Danto’s into two groups. The first group is to define art from its functions whereas the second from its history. The revolutionary advantage of Danto’s idea of the artworld is that he has invented a new strategy to define art, so Dickie and Carol, in this sense, are his followers. Davis calls this way to define art a procedural way, which will stress art defining should be made through specific rules and some cultural processes. Upon this point, it can be said that Danto’s artworld theory has brought about a fundamental revolution rather than a reform in defining what the art is.Chapter three expounds Danto’s theory of the end of art. Following Hegle’s "the end of art theory" and based on art history and aesthetic theory, Danto examines the question of "the end of art" in double vision, and starting from philosophical disenfranchisements of art and the end of art history, he recognizes and reflects on the problem of the end of art with the intrinsic logic relation between historical changes on the forms of art and the transitions of art philosophy. Under the new historical conditions, the philosophical disenfranchisement of art will present three different ways:to end in philosophy, to end in nonlinear evolution, to end in diversified development. The philosophical disenfranchisement of art will put an end to the continuously progressive single development model, providing a new opportunity for knowing and defining art. To respond to the crises in art positively, the writer conscientiously traces the historical clues and sorts out the different ideas on "the end of art" by Hegel, Heidegger, Adorno, and Danto. Among them, Hegel tends to realize the reconciliation between the freedom of art and the spirit, Heidegger tries to find out how art approaches truth by exploring art ontology, Adorno attempts to discover a critical anti-art through art crisis, and Danto expects to liberate art from the philosophical disenfranchisement by reflecting on the model of art history which centers on narrative structure. Actually, the theory of "the end of art" does not mean art activity or art developing course has reach its end; instead, it offers new theoretical possibilities for rediscovering art and promoting the development of new art practice by more exploration into the end of art.Chapter four elaborates the role of art institute in defining art. Danto investigates the real role that the filtering mechanism of the museum plays in defining art and makes a detailed analysis on the fact that the filtering mechanism of traditional museum is the response to social conditions of defining art. Traditional museums collect some well-acknowledged works of art, which means a whole set of rules that the society applies to define art are implied in the mature museum system. On the one hand, traditional museum represents the pattern of traditional art-being; on the other hand, it reflects the traditional way of judging art. But the new practice of avant-garde art has made the museum unable to cling to the old rules and ignore the living style of art with the coming of post-historical period. In this context, Danto advances the concept of super museum, which will expand the intentions and extensions of the museum, help it move with the times, and then make it adaptable to the rapidly changing art practice.Chapter five discusses Danto’s way of thinking artwork in China and the possibility of defining art in Chinese context. His new exploration will extend his reflection on art definition outside the western context and enable us to recognize the significance and value of his theory for Chinese art from a new perspective. Besides, his own use of these theories in situations of cross-context will enrich his thoughts on art defining.Part three objectively summarizes and evaluates Danto’s accomplishments and his strong influence with a brief review of his art definition theory, and then seeks to objectify his art theory simultaneously for building the framework for Chinese art by taking advice from others to further fuel the creation of our own system of art theory. We may get some preparations for remolding art theory in China by adapting Danto’s art theory to Chinese context.