Visus, Tactus, Memoria. Rembrandt's Aristotle with the bust of Homer

In the context of an interpretation of Rembrandt's famous portrait Aristotle with the Bust of Homer (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), the lecture will discuss the significance of sculpture as a key medium of memory. A detailed analysis will show how Rembrandt transforms established thought patterns of competition (between the arts, among artists, with antiquity) and traditional art historical dichotomies (seeing vs. feeling, materiality vs. intellect, presence vs. transience) into a remarkably complex play with genres, creating a painted philosophy of touch.

Jeanette Kohl is Professor of Art History at the University of California, Riverside.