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The Theory of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Theory: the Art of Alfred Gell
Author(s) -
Derlon Brigitte,
JeudyBallini Monique
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1834-4461
pISSN - 0029-8077
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4461.2010.tb00076.x
Subject(s) - theory of art , cult , agency (philosophy) , ethnography , action (physics) , epistemology , work of art , field (mathematics) , power (physics) , art , function (biology) , art history , aesthetics , philosophy , sociology , anthropology , mathematics , physics , theology , quantum mechanics , evolutionary biology , pure mathematics , biology
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.