Messengers of Infinity by Eyal Peretz

Messengers of Infinity by Eyal Peretz

The first philosophical engagement with the pictorial work of Leonardo, seen as a systematic whole.

Presented here is the first philosophical engagement with the pictorial work of Leonardo, seen as a systematic whole. It is not written from the point of view of an art historian, even as it tries to benefit from art historical insights and procedures, but that of contemporary continental philosophy and theories of modern artistic media. Author Eyal Peretz's main objective is to understand the historical and logical place Leonardo's paintings occupy in the transition from the age of medieval sacred images to Renaissance or early modern painting. Leonardo, Peretz argues, introduced a media revolution, which has still not been fully assimilated and understood. His "modernity" is still ahead of us. Written in a clear and engaging style, Messengers of Infinity, will appeal equally to Leonardo experts, experts in continental philosophy, and those who are experts in neither of these fields but have an intellectual curiosity about the historical and conceptual significance of Leonardo in particular and of modern painting in general.

"For readers working in phenomenology, philosophical aesthetics, or the philosophy of art, this study offers a rigorous and challenging contributionIt invites engagement, disagreement, and extension, not by closing the question of what images are, but by returning it to the experience of appearance itself." — Phenomenological Reviews

"Written with sincerity and passion, the book is an intriguing philosophical rumination … The writing is poetic and intellectually nuanced, with asides to pop culture and film…" — CHOICE

"Messengers of Infinity is a transformative rereading of a well-known figure that cuts through scholasticism and allows you to see an aspect of a work that scholarship obscured. The prose is lucid and inviting, with no shred of jargon and few technical terms, making this work equally appealing to both phenomenologists and fans of Leonardo."—Paul North, author of Bizarre-Privileged Items in the Universe: The Logic of Likeness

"Rigorously argued and deeply felt, this is a fresh and welcome addition to Leonardo studies." — Amy Knight Powell, author of Depositions: Scenes from the Late Medieval Church and the Modern Museum

Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University Bloomington.