Introduction
Definition of artwork has always been a disputable issue because of the existence of its multiple concepts and difficulties arising from the divergences in the perspectives on the beauty preconditioned by differences in mentalities. However, despite these debates, Danto assumes that every piece of art always has three integral qualities: meaning, embodiment, and interpretation. This argument comes from the idea of the philosophic meaning of art and its ability to impact viewers by representing some objects of reality in unusual ways.
Main body
Applying this idea to photographs, their true nature can be determined. Thus, according to Danto, meaning, embodiment, and interpretation should be found in photos for them to become works of art. In other words, images that present simple objects and do not convey any messages cannot be considered artworks. At the same time, if a photo makes a viewer think about particular events or contains symbolic representations of phenomena peculiar to modern society, its value increases significantly, and it contributes to the development of contemporary art.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, with the appearance and development of tools to mechanically reproduce various artworks, including photographs, the question of their value became even more important. However, the ideas suggested by Danto concerning the identification of a work of art remain topical. All images that contain the three elements (meaning, embodiment, interpretation) should be related to art. At the same time, all reproductions of these masterpieces are just the result of the technological development that provided artisans with an opportunity to copy outstanding images to familiarize individuals with them and promote the further evolution of photography and art. However, the given theme still remains disputable and triggers multiple debates related to the future of this kind of creativity.