n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based

on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos
n his 1998 book Art and Agency, Gell formulated an influential theory of art based
on abductive reasoning. Gell argues that 'art in general (although his attention focuses on
visual artifacts, like the prows of the boats of the Trobriand islands) acts on its users, i.e.
achieves agency, through a sort of technical virtuosity. Art can enchant the viewer, who is
always a blind viewer, because "the technology of enchantment is founded on the
enchantment of technology" (the title of a previous essay on aesthetics by Gell is The
Technology of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Technology, 1992). Gell closely
follows different forms of effectiveness of 'technical virtuosity' of the artist. For him it comes
to a stylistic virtuosity, able to get some sort of living presence response, reacting to works
of art as if they were living beings or even people acting (agency), entering into a personal
relationship with them, triggering love, hate, desire or fear. In this way for Gell works of art,
in all cultures, are able to create shared common sense, especially through reasoning
with abduction, which already in Aristotle is a less strong inference than
'induction and deduction, more intuitive and concise. Gell takes it from the linguist Charles
Sanders Peirce as a case of synthetic inference, where you are in very strange
circumstances, which could be explained by the supposition that it is a case obedient to
some rule, and therefore we adopt such a supposition.[3]
So the artworks mediate the social agency. That is, using the logical mechanism of
abduction: thos