Enthüllen und Verbergen. Methoden des Bildes in der Vormoderne.

The object status of the image has always insinuated a practice of revealing and concealing, especially when representations of the divine, or also the process of conceiving of an image of the divine, are at issue. On the other hand, revealing and concealing is a dynamic immanent to images. The terms therefore enable referring both to a practice with images and a practice of images. The module is located in the pre-modern period in order to examine the various strategies of revealing and concealing there, and to analyze pagan and especially different Christian iconic practices critically through comparison. The focus on the pre-modern period means also considering strategies of visualization beyond a modern conception of art; but in precisely this way the module makes a contribution to a nuanced understanding of the term “image” in the sphere of its use as well as its historical processes of transformation.