Arthur Danto was a twentieth-century American philosopher and art critic who lived a long life and made a significant contribution to art perception development. He was interested in numerous different fields like the philosophy of action, the works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and the concepts of aesthetics, feeling, and thought (“Arthur Danto,” 2021). Still, people know him primarily for his ideas in the philosophy of history and philosophical aesthetics. In his severe 1964 work titled “The Artworld,” Danto explores the role of art experts and theory.
To begin with, Danto emphasizes the two necessary concepts that one needs in order to distinguish art from non-art. First, it is the Artworld, which is the interconnection of makers, critics, sellers, buyers, and appreciators (Danto, 1964). Second, it is the art theory that makes the Artworld possible in the first place. Danto believes that modern people sometimes may not even understand that they are looking at an art object, so they need the theory to tell them about it (Danto, 1964, p. 572). Consequently, the theory is like a mirror that reflects what people already know but do not realize without getting a wordy image, and since generations change their ideas, perceptions, and priorities, art theory also modifies.
Danto’s thoughts about the Artworld are rather interesting and engaging. Indeed, I used to find myself in situations when it was difficult for me to define whether something was artwork, and I had to turn to the art theory and find some explanations. However, I still believe that the definition of artworks should be more personal, especially when it comes to modern art, which may only be completely felt and perceived by some people. If a person does not feel an artwork, they should be able to admit that it is not art for them, which in turn will not make this object less artistic in general but will provide people with a choice of perception.
References
Arthur Danto. (2021). Wikipedia. Web.
Danto, A. (1964). The Artworld. The Journal of Philosophy, 61(19), 571-584. Web.