Reading 2 Assignment/summary Art and Agency Student Name: Tori De Leon
1.
Discuss clearly and precisely in 3 sentences what Alfred Gell describes as an “anthropological theory of art.” Gell describes an anthropological theory of art as being the need for art to be seen as an entity in itself (Gell 1998, pg.10) Showing that the anthropological theory of art is to understand the human condition by making sense of behavior in the context of social relations, taking into account for the production and circulation of art objects as a function of this relational context (Gell 1998, pg.11).
2.
Describe in 3 sentences why a Trobriand Islanders carved canoe prow can have agency, or personhood, in their culture
Trobriand Islanders carved canoe prow can have agency in their culture because the prow board is an index of superior artistic agency ( Gell 1998, pg. 71) Having artistic agency in their culture can display magic and result in magical tradition. This magical effect can be described as the same type of “uncanny” cessation that Western art produced.
