The art of bullfighting

BarcelonaThe film has arrived at the establishments of the branchAlbert SerraAfternoons of solitude, with the special participation of Andrés Roca Rey, a quality bullfighter. The fact that we can now see it three times, preferably on alternate days rather than consecutively, will perhaps give everyone a more seasoned idea of what the art of bullfighting entails.

It is of no importance to remind readers that in Greece and Rome the death of a hundred oxen or bulls – in Greek, hekatombe– was a celebration directly related to their myths. This antiquity means nothing; but it is worth remembering that every animal sacrifice, as a cultural event, is usually linked to religion, as is still the case in Hebrew and Muslim cultures. In this sense, bullfighting is no exception. In the case of the liturgical killing of a lamb, for example, the blood of the sacrificed animal must fall on the heads of the faithful to purify them. This is something very difficult to understand in societies with Christian roots, a religion that replaced bloody sacrifice—Christ's was, let's not forget, just as flagellants still shed blood at Easter—with a double allegory: bread and wine. What must be understood is that this does not mean that Christians are more civilized than Jews or practicing Muslims.

Albert Serra's film does not offer any positive or negative assessment of bullfighting; it simply presents the reality of this art, without sparing the cruelty that accompanies the sacrifice of the bull, and the serene recklessness of the bullfighter, who could be killed by the animal. Moreover, Serra has had the wisdom to place extraordinary emphasis on sacrificial blood and the word. death in the mouth of his gang: A death that no animal will ever know the metaphysical meaning of, while in humans it is presented as a law of fate, of the gods, or of God, and this makes death one of the most transcendental and enigmatic aspects of human life; and, through it, life can acquire a very important meaning.

The art of bullfighting is a fight to the death between a young man and a ferocious animal, which was not taken to the bullrings to arouse low emotions, but to produce a catharsis – as was typical of Greek tragedy – and generate a memento mori, as occurred in the macabre dances of the Middle Ages.

In this column we do not criticize the enemies of bullfighting, nor do we praise its defenders. We simply wanted to make it clear to readers that it is a sacrificial ritual (from the Latin priest, sacred) – these rituals were once present in many cultures, but have now disappeared everywhere due to a false idea of the "progress" of civilization – which therefore revolves around a sacred category. Serra invites us to recognize this dimension in the art of bullfighting.