Art is an important vehicle for human to communicate meaning. And hermeneutics is regarded as a methodology of understanding and interpreting meaning. Therefore, art and hermeneutics have an indispensible connection. Thus, it is profitable to explore the hermeneutic approach as a research methodology in visual arts. This paper includes the following aspects: (1) examine why hermeneutics is an appropriate methodology for art research today, (2) overview of the history of hermeneutics, (3) discuss the relations between art and hermeneutic concepts, then reify the hermeneutic process and mode in terms of art interpretation, and (4) reflect on the limitations of hermeneutics as a research approach in art research. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the hermeneutic approach is a suitable methodology in art research and the limitations of it. We believe that this paper is helpful to the understanding of hermeneutics as a research methodology in visual arts and its contribution in this field.