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- Title
The Theory of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Theory: the Art of Alfred Gell.
- Authors
Derlon, Brigitte; Jeudy-Ballini, Monique
- Abstract
Gell's Art and Agency that aimed to articulate the first anthropological theory of art has achieved a near-cult status among the academic community. Departing from previous semiological and aesthetic approaches, this theory takes it that art is a form of instrumental action, the canonical efficacy of which lies in its power to function as a cognitive trap and to captivate the spectator's mind. In this article it is argued that Gell's theory is not as novel as it is claimed; that it fails to define the specific field of art; and that by excluding the aesthetic properties of art objects, it discards ethnographical data nonetheless necessary for understanding the agency of art in Melanesian local cultures. At a meta-level, Gell assigned to his theory the same captivating purpose as he did to art, and this probably explains the seductive fascination that his work continues to exert.
- Subjects
GELL, Alfred; ART &; Agency: An Anthropological Theory (Book); THEORY; AESTHETICS; ART theory; AUTHORS
- Publication
Oceania, 2010, Vol 80, Issue 2, p129
- ISSN
0029-8077
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/j.1834-4461.2010.tb00076.x