Gombrich, Danto, and the Question of Artistic Progress

The question Iam concerned with is the relevance of the notionof progress in the artistic field.Does the notion of artistic progress apply to art and,in the case it does,in what sense and how?In order to answerthis question Iwill discuss Ernst Gombrich and Arthur Danto’s view of artistic progress (§§ 2-3).Then,following the objections that the Spanishphilosopher Gerard Vilar recently raised against Danto’s ideas on the endof art (§ 4),Iwill suggest a modest view concerning the requirements a theory of artistic progress must satisfy (§ 5).