«Sis tu tuus et ego ero tuus». Il soggetto e lo specchio dell’arte

This paper aims to examine the theme of individuality in Nicholas of Cusa’s thought and in the art world of the Flemish Renaissance (15th-17th centuries). On one hand, in his works, Cusanus studies the rational capacity and the intellectual one of human mind, and he goes on to define the specific way in which human creature can know his relationship with God. In doing so, Cusanus reflects on the singularity of man with respect to the other living beings and characterizes his philosophy as a meditation on the value of the individual. On the other hand, at the same time, in their artistic practice painters of the Flemish Renaissance, such as Rogier van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck, try to realistically depict the individual, always as a specific and singular entity. So, I shall study the value of individuality, paying a particular attention to the relations between Cusanus’ reflection and some works of Flemish art, in order to demonstrate the importance and the value of the concept of person for the birth of modern Western philosophy.