Arthur C. Danto

  • 20

    Catalog books

  • 20

    Works

  • 1980 to 2022

    Strongest span

Who This Author Is

Arthur C. Danto approaches art criticism as sustained philosophical inquiry. In Embodied Meanings he collects essays that move from close readings of paintings to broader meditations on meaning, showing how artworks reveal and reshape concepts rather than merely illustrating them.

The book pairs rigorous argument with accessible examples, tracing how aesthetic judgment depends on historical and conceptual contexts. Danto’s voice blends clarity and provocation, inviting readers to reconsider what counts as representation, interpretation, and the very identity of art.

Best Place To Start

Author At A Glance

Best known for: Philosophy of art and aesthetics • Art criticism and theory • Essays on interpretation

Genres and themes: Aesthetics • Art theory • Philosophical essays

Who this author is best for: For readers who want clear, probing reflections on what art means and how we interpret it.

Begin with Embodied Meanings to sample concise essays that bridge criticism and philosophy.

Top Books To Start With

  1. Embodied Meanings: Critical Essays and Aesthetic Meditations

    Farrar Straus & Giroux • 1995 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1995 • 144 pages.

  2. Philosophizing Art: Selected Essays

    Univ of California Pr • 1999 • standard commitment

    It helps anchor a specific period of this author’s publishing run instead of blending into the undated shelf clutter.

  3. The Body/Body Problem: Selected Essays

    Univ of California Pr • 1999 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1999 • 262 pages.

  4. Beyond the Brillo Box: The Visual Arts in Post-Historical Perspective

    Univ of California Pr • 1998 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1998 • 263 pages.

  5. Connections to the World: Basic Concepts of Philosophy

    Univ of California Pr • 1997 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1997 • 281 pages.

  6. Encounters and Reflections: Art in the Historical Present

    Univ of California Pr • 1997 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1997 • 356 pages.

  7. Playing with the Edge: the Photographic Achievement of Robert Mapplethorpe

    Univ of California Pr • 1995 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1995 • 208 pages.

  8. After the End of Art

    Princeton University Press • 2021 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2021 • 272 pages.

  9. What Art Is

    Yale University Press • 2013 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2013 • 192 pages.

  10. David Wilkie

    Edinburgh University Press • 2007 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2007 • 264 pages.

How The Picks Compare

  • Embodied Meanings: Critical Essays and Aesthetic Meditations is the easier short commitment, while Philosophizing Art: Selected Essays asks for more reading time up front.
  • Embodied Meanings: Critical Essays and Aesthetic Meditations gives you an earlier look at this author’s shelf, while Philosophizing Art: Selected Essays leans later in the catalog.
  • The Body/Body Problem: Selected Essays is also useful if you want a different publishing lane from Embodied Meanings: Critical Essays and Aesthetic Meditations.

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