Key Terms/Concepts
Philosophers
Artists
Arthur Coleman Danto was an American art critic, philosopher, and professor who has been the most influential and persistent critic of formalism. Inspired in particular by Warhol’s Brillo Boxes (see image below) , which are (more or less) perceptually indistinguishable from the brand-printed cartons in which boxes of Brillo were delivered to supermarkets, Danto observed that for most any artwork it is possible to imagine both (a) another object that is perceptually indiscernible from it but which is not an artwork, and (b) another artwork that is perceptually indiscernible from it but which differs in artistic value. From these observations he concluded that form alone does not make an artwork nor does it give the artwork whatever value it has.
But Danto has taken the possibility of such perceptual indiscernibles to show the limitations not merely of form but also of aesthetics, and he has done so on the grounds, apparently, that the formal and the aesthetic correspond. Regarding a urinal Duchamp once exhibited and a perceptual indiscernible ordinary urinal, Danto maintains that "aesthetics could not explain why one was a work of fine art and the other not, since for all practical purposes they were aesthetically indiscernible: if one was beautiful, the other one had to be beautiful, since they looked just alike."
Source: The Concept of the Aesthetic. SEP.
Inspired in particular by Warhol’s Brillo Boxes, which are (more or less) perceptually indistinguishable from the brand-printed cartons in which boxes of Brillo were delivered to supermarkets,
Danto observed that for most any artwork it is possible to imagine both (a) another object that is perceptually indiscernible from it but which is not an artwork, and (b) another artwork that is perceptually indiscernible from it but which differs in artistic value. From these observations he concluded that form alone neither makes an artwork nor gives it whatever value it has.
But Danto has taken the possibility of such perceptual indiscernibles to show the limitations not merely of form but also of aesthetics, and he has done so on the grounds, apparently, that the formal and the aesthetic are co-extensive. Regarding a urinal Duchamp once exhibited and a perceptual indiscernible ordinary urinal, Danto maintains that aesthetics could not explain why one was a work of fine art and the other not, since for all practical purposes they were aesthetically indiscernible: if one was beautiful, the other one had to be beautiful, since they looked just alike. (2003).
Image Source: "Is it Art?" Andy Warhold Foundation
George Thomas Dickie was an American philosopher known for his work in aesthetics, philosophy of art, and 18th Century theories of taste. His work builds on Danto's Institutional Theory of Art that claims art institutions such as museums and galleries, and specific agents working within them, have the power to dictate what is art and what is not. Dickie proposed his Institutional Theory of Art, which he later elaborated in his work Art and the Aesthetic (1974).
Dickie is highly critical of traditional aesthetic theories that wish to allocate a distinct aesthetic realm - experience, perception, mental faculties or attitudes. He also argued against the notion of disinterestedness - lack of interest in the contemplated object, other than the contemplation itself. Dickie claims there is no property of being a work of art other than being deemed to be such by authorized members of the art world. He concludes that “a work of art is an artifact of a kind to be presented to an artworld public,” a theory which he views as ultimately classificatory.
Congo, 30th Painting Session 11th December (1957). Courtesy of Mayor Gallery.
