VOGEL NET - TRAPS AS ARTWORKS AND ARTWORKS AS TRAPS

This essay explores the basis of the distinction commonly made between works of art or art objects, and 'mere' artefacts, which are useful b ut not aesthetically interesting or beautiful. It is argued that if th e art object is identifiable as such in the light of the fact that it has an interpretation, as Danto claims, then many artefacts could be e xhibited as art objects. The essay shows that animal traps could very well be exhibited as art, because they tend to embody complex ideas an d intentions to do with the relationship between men and animals, and because they provide a model of the hunter himself and his idea of the world of the prey animal. It is concluded that an aesthetic definitio n of the art object is consequently unsatisfactory.