An Interpretation of Danto’s the End-of-Art Thesis from the Perspective of Gadamerian Hermeneutics

Ontology of art, philosophy of art history, and aesthetics make up Danto’s integrated philosophy of art. The end-of-art thesis is the essence of Danto’s philosophy of art history. As an analytical philosopher, Danto’s philosophy resembles Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics in the viewpoints concerning art and history in some ways but differs in others. Danto’s concepts of history show different tendencies in analytical philosophy of history and philosophy of art history. On the one hand, his philosophy of history conforms to Gadamer’s history of effect for the denial of the objectivity and certainty of historical truth. On the other hand, his philosophy of art history fundamentally differs from Gadamer’s relativism by asserting “the end of art” therefore generating a Hegelian law in art history. By using the strategy of “historical narrative” in his philosophy of art history, which is also in accordance with Gadamerian tradition, Danto aims to reconcile his self-contradictory historical views and to justify his philosophical position both as an “essentialist” and a “historicist”.