Isness

Danto's theory and use of the word "is" is somewhat interesting. While is normally helps us refer to an objects state of being i.e. "the ball is round," at any given time, we find it insufficient to merely say "the ball is" as this only conveys the balls existence. What Danto does is he uses the word "is" to separate an object from an art work. To say something IS art is to say that though it may contain properties of an mere object, it has its place in the artworld because some kind of artistic theory has been applied to it, and therfore it IS art. While I don't necessarily believe this, because according to Danto anyone who understands art theory and history can confer this status, it is nevertheless an interesting concept.