Dante on Warhol's, Brillo Box

The art critic, Arthur Danto in Vol. 61 of The Journal of Philosophy, “The Art World” (1964) draws upon Socrates' theory on art as a mirror held up to nature, “reflecting what we can already see, so art, insofar mirrorlike, yields idle accurate duplications of the appearances of things, and is of no cognitive benefit whatever.” Danto’s observations on the philosophy of art “requires something that the eye cannot decry—an atmosphere of artistic theory, a knowledge of the history of art: an art world.” (Danto 1964).

  

Brillo Box, (Pop Art) 1964










Andy Warhol blurred the lines between commercial art and fine art, his famous work, “Brillo Box

(1964) displays facsimiles of the logo for Brillo Pad cartons, stacked neatly in a tower, four boxes high. The bold red and blue block letters in a playful and cartoon-like font replicate the colors of the American flag and evoke a sentiment of bucolic suburban life, the routine of household chores, and a snapshot of American domesticity. The neat little boxes remind of the tidiness of a patriotic nuclear family, the viewer may feel a sense of fear or dread as they observe their own reflection and compare this ideal of standards to their own. Will they feel a purge of catharsis if they do not measure up or does this paradigm comfort and support their own purpose and mission to fit the mold.

 A common theme of this new era of Pop Art was the industrialization and mass marketing in the art in advertising space. The art world and consumerism began to merge on a mass market scale. New ideas and questions were raised when logo designs began to inform similar styles and reflect architecture and fashion. Additionally questioned was the intrinsic value of mechanically manufactured art vs art made by hand, similar to the earlier conversation had by the French impressionists influenced by the 19th century Japanese Ukiyo-e printmakers. 

Dante writes, what if Warhol might make his out of cardboard instead of plywood exactly like the ones stacked in the supermarket? Might they cease to become art? Dante illustrates the importance of the artist's intention by the artist’s statement. This theory and purpose behind the work of art displays a knowledge of the history of art, and the “is of artistic identification and so constitutes it a work of art.”


References

Danto, A.(1964). The Artworld. The Journal of Philosophy.




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