How and what we see is largely shaped by the culture in which we live. In his book, Hans Belting compares the perspective of the Western world, which was born in Renaissance Florence and produced entirely new images, with that of the Islamic world, which is expressed in its art and relationship to images. At the same time, the book, which can already be considered a classic today, explains how the modern Western image could only emerge through an intense exchange with the science and culture of the Arab world.