Messengers of Infinity

on the Pictorial Logic of Leonardo da Vinci

Peretz, Eyal

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.