UC Berkeley

In this essay, through a close reading of a little-known painting of the temptation of Saint Anthony, I propose that every convening of images inspired by the viewing of a picture is a unique "event," a transformation that occurs during the act of perception, in which various images can be seen as an assemblage generated by one picture. The analysis of such assemblages provides insight into the making and reception of the image, as well as the potential variance between the artist's making and viewer's reception. Further, such analysis reveals a structure of "thresholds" within the picture, a structure that refers to inherent principles of representation and mimesis. Spring