Albert Serra on Bullfighting as Art: Need for Theoretical Revolution

Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra argues that bullfighting (tauromachie) must undergo a theoretical revolution to survive as an art form. In an excerpt from his text "Nouveaux horizons esthétiques de la 'Fiesta'" (Capricci, 2013), Serra contends that the art remains too rigidly bound to the canonical grammar established by bullfighter Juan Belmonte in the 20th century. Unlike modern and contemporary art, which evolved by being anti-canonical, bullfighting has stagnated. Serra questions whether excessive purism is beneficial and suggests that openness to evolution, while maintaining ethical rigor, is necessary. He also critiques television broadcasts of bullfights, drawing on Walter Benjamin's concept of the aura. Serra argues that TV fails to capture the essential duality of the corrida: the codified, ritualistic structure versus the unpredictable, violent instinct of the bull. Filming either aspect alone distorts the experience; combining both is impossible. He concludes that televised broadcasts devalue the aesthetic experience, which is only fully felt in the plaza. The text was published in artpress in 2014, translated from Spanish by Fernando Ganzo.