This paper discusses the theoretical concept of the “anthropology of image” by Hans Belting. Contrary to the traditional art history that had chosen the artistic structure as the research objective, Belting noticed that within the archaic cultures, the meaning had been granted to an image not only through the visual appreciation, but also through action centered on manifestation (“making presence”), and carried on in the process of symbolization. While one can agree with the broad message of Beltings theory, the details amount to regress in anthropologically oriented studies of archaic art.
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