After the Death of Art for Hegel and Nietzsche

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In this paper, I take a critical angle on the supposed “death of art” literature by challenging its conclusions on what the death of art portends for both Hegel and Nietzsche. I posit that in the wake of Hegel’s observation of art’s diminished role and against Nietzsche’s lamentation of this loss, art remains both indispensable and insufficient for addressing the profound contradictions of contemporary life. I argue that, while art cannot reclaim its historical centrality or resolve the existential dilemmas it illuminates, its necessity lies precisely in its unique capacity to articulate these dilemmas, offering a space for reflection and engagement unavailable through philosophy alone. This contradiction—between art’s necessity and its limitations—underscores a larger tension within modernity itself, one that art uniquely reveals but cannot by itself overcome.