Abstract

With the leaping development of art, modern people are appalled to discover that normal commodity boxes even ready-made urinals are displayed. The traditional standard which used to be applied to judge art seems to have lost its efficiency. It seems to be way beyond our ability to distinguish whether a work is art or not, and such phenomena trigger the query on modern art as well as its significance. Some people believe that such a trend of dimming the boundary between art and daily life shows that art will no longer maintain its vitality; thus topics about the end of art continuously appear in people’s vision on account of such situation. It’s commonly believed that Hegel, the German philosopher, is the first one to put forward the theory on the end of art. At the end of the twentieth century, American philosopher Arthur Danto came up with a new theory on the end of art and combined it with the art practices of his generation. 

Based on an assembled theoretical line with artistic cases, this paper is divided into four chapters to analyze the different connotations of their theories on the end of art.

The first chapter mainly introduces the background of the debates about related theories on the end of art and briefly illustrates different voices from domestic and foreign scholars, so as to lay a foundation for further discussion.

The second chapter mainly studies Hegel’s thoughts of the end of art. On the one hand, according to his philosophical system, art as the initial stage of Absolute Spirit which develops from art to religion and finally to philosophy will necessarily transform into religion and philosophy; on the other hand, the appearance of Romantic art crumbles the ideal form of art in Hegel’s mind. However, such view from Hegel doesn't mean the death of art. It illustrates that the task of expressing the truth or idea will gradually be handed over from art to religion and finally to philosophy. In other words, art will finally get superseded by religion and philosophy.

The third chapter mainly studies Danto’s thoughts of the end of art. The transition from Modernism to Post-modernism which occurred in Danto’s era makes him rethink the definition and standard of art. Danto alleges that art ends, because the history of art has ended. And he deems that art still lives and more art works will emerge, but none of them can carry the responsibility of launching a new era in the history of art. Art has stepped into a new stage of freedom. 

Based on the summary and interpretations of theories above, the fourth chapter makes a further analysis with a contemporary perspective. Theories on the end of art is in fact a by-product of a certain transition of artistic creation. The standard of art can not be efficacious forever. In the vacuum while the art theory is updating, theories of the end of art is a feedback of the temporary invalidation of the standard of art. Art will not end, or die. It merely needs time to digest new contents.

Key words: the end of art; Hegel; Idea; Dialectical development; Danto; Artistic theory; the history of art 

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction- 1 -

1.1 General background on the raising of “the end of art” theory- 1 -

1.2 Hegel and his aesthetic theory- 2 -

1.3 Danto and his theory- 3 -

2. The study on Hegel’s theory of “the end of art”- 5 -

2.1 Theoretical interpretation- 5 -

2.1.1 The meaning of the ‘End’- 5 -

2.1.2 Absolute spirit and the dialectical development- 6 -

2.2 The itinerary of art- 7 -

2.2.1 Idea and appearance- 7 -

2.2.2 Classical Art: The superlative Symbolic Art and the Perfect Art- 8 -

2.2.3 Romantic Art: Breaker of the equilibrium- 9 -

2.3 The curtain call of art- 10 -

3. The study on Danto’s theory of “the end of art”- 13 -

3.1 Avant-garde art forms: Farewell to tradition- 13 -

3.1.1 Ready-mades being art- 13 -

3.1.2 Action painting- 16 -

3.2 The improvement of the status of artistic theory- 17 -

3.3 Art’s liberation from its history- 19 -

4. Reflections from a contemporary perspective- 22 -

4.1 The timeliness of theory- 22 -

4.2 Contemporary crisis: Everybody can be Van Gogh- 25 -

5. Conclusion- 29 -

Acknowledgements- 31 -

References- 32 -