Arthur Danto as a Zen master: an interpretation of Danto’s philosophy of art from a Zen perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Arthur Danto is one of the best Anglophone philosophers of art of the second half of the 20th century. His unique methodology of indiscernibility and provocative claim about the end of art have been and continue to be influential across various cultures. In this sense, it interesting to note that Danto’s philosophy of art seems to be initially inspired by Zen. This influence has been somehow ignored in contemporary discussion of Danto’s art theory. However, there are different interpretations of Zen, and their relevance to contemporary art is correspondingly different. According to Danto’s interpretation, the art after the end of art is contemporary conceptual art. It threatens to end the history of art based on narratives about the work of art. If we were to take an East Asian understanding of Zen, the art after the end of art would not be any kind of work of art, but instead the artist or the art of living, which may lead us to begin new narratives of art.