Horst Bredekamp: Galileo and the interplay of light and dirt

Accompanying event of the exhibition NEWTON | GOETHE | GALILEO – Reflections by Mischa Kuball

A key point of departure is the work five suns / after Galileo from the Schnetkamp Collection Düsseldorf, featured in the exhibition. The piece draws on Galileo Galilei’s observations of sunspots and artistically reflects on their significance for image theory and epistemology.

At the center of the lecture is Galileo Galilei’s discovery and interpretation of sunspots at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Horst Bredekamp examines how Galileo, through the use of the telescope, not only made new astronomical phenomena visible but also challenged long-standing conceptions of the purity and perfection of the heavens. The sunspots appeared as “stains” or “blemishes” on what had previously been regarded as the flawless body of the sun, thereby initiating a fundamental shift in the understanding of nature and the cosmos.

The lecture argues that Galileo’s observations extend far beyond the field of astronomy. They mark an epistemic transformation in which seeing, drawing, and scientific knowledge become inseparably intertwined. Bredekamp focuses in particular on the role of Galileo’s images and sketches, which function not merely as illustrations but as independent instruments of knowledge. In this context, light and impurity emerge as complementary categories of a new scientific worldview, one in which visibility itself arises through irregularity and materiality.

By bringing together art history, the history of science, and image theory, the lecture offers a fresh perspective on Galileo as a thinker of visual modernity and on the productive tension between aesthetic perception and scientific observation.

© Barbara Herrenkind

Horst Bredekamp (born 1947 in Kiel) is considered one of the most influential art historians and image theorists of our time. He studied art history, philosophy, archaeology, and sociology in Kiel, Munich, Berlin, and Marburg, where he earned his doctorate in 1974. After teaching at the University of Hamburg, he became a professor at Humboldt University of Berlin in 1993. Since 2019, he has also served as senior spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence “Matters of Activity.”

Bredekamp is best known for his contributions to image science (Bildwissenschaft), a field that investigates the cognitive, political, and cultural functions of images. His research spans medieval and Renaissance art, political iconography, and the relationships between art, science, and technology. He has led major interdisciplinary projects such as The Technical Image and played a key role in the establishment of the Humboldt Forum.

Among his most renowned works are studies on Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, and the visual culture of the Renaissance. Throughout his career, he has received numerous international honors, including the Aby Warburg Prize and the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

The lecture will be held in Italian. The text is also available in German.

Admission is free, no prior registration is required.

In collaboration with

Photo: Mischa Kuball: five suns / after Galileo, Schnetkamp Collection Düsseldorf © Andrea Veneri