Mythologies of Vision

«Approaching the study of visual images from the perspective of a communication theorist, Professor Neiva addresses some of the most disputed issues confronting Art History and visual studies today. While sympathetic to semiotics, he is critical of scholars who would reduce the study of the image to pre-established codes and conventions. His distrust of phenomenological analysis, on the other hand, is evident from his useful critique of Heidegger's famous essay, 'The Origin of the Work of Art.' At times controversial, at times lucidly didactic, this book will be of interest to all students of visual culture. It represents a remarkable achievement by an author of apparently boundless erudition.» (Keith Moxey, Professor of Art History, Barnard College/Columbia University)
«In an era when the division of labor drives intellectual life into ever narrower specializations, it is a delight to spend time with Professor Neiva. From animal ethology to the history of anamorphosis in painting, from Paracelsus to Freud, by way of eighteenth-century gardens of simulacra, twentieth-century sociology, and the vegetable hallucinations of Arcimboldo, there seems nothing that Professor Neiva's curiosity and erudition leaves untouched. 'Mythologies of Vision' is a book of exceptional encounters and dazzling connections.» (Norman Bryson, Professor of Art, Harvard University)