Vera Beyer
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Transformationen von Blicken in der persischen und westeuropäischen Buchmalerei
Vera Beyer compares transformations of gazes and dispositifs of the gaze in Persian and Western European book illumination from the 13th to the 16th century. How are desirous gazes rendered legitimate? What are the conditions of seeing God? When is the contemplation of an image idolatry? The book examines such questions regarding topoi that circulate in both visual cultures: Glimpses of the beauty of the Old Testament Joseph, the curtain before the throne of God, the portrait of Alexander the Great, dreaming authors and unbelieving idol worshippers.
The transformations of these topoi counteract universalisations as well as essentialisations, such as an image-hostile Islam versus an image-friendly Christianity. By combining transcultural art history and image studies, the book thus tests a transcultural critique of the gaze.
Vera Beyer, Professor of Art History and Historical Image Science at the University of Regensburg, works on ornaments, political representation and transcultural art histories as well as their mediation in museums and schools.