Humankind has traditionally had a special relationship with the atmospheric characteristics of their environment, especially when it comes to rain. Using unique and expertly developed cases - from prehistoric cave paintings up to the meaning of rain in photography and cinema - this book casts new light on a theme that is both ecological and iconological, both natural and cultural-historical. Are our current paradigms in the visual studies enough to be able to describe the art and culture surrounding rain in a nuanced way, even to reach Beyond? Considering one does not simply look at the rain, one looks into the rain? Its effect on the audience is contaminating, it seeps through, elusive and dynamic. In the book, important cultural thinkers from both the past as well as the present are invited to carefully consider these questions with the author. Barbara Baert's touching essay reveals the capability of humans to combine imagery and fascination into one. Baert's unique prose makes Looking Beyond the Rain. Magic-Moisture-Medium a profound, bold, and sometimes fervent essay. Barbara Baert is Professor of Art History at KU Leuven.

She teaches in the field of Iconology, Art Theory & Analysis, and Medieval Art. Her work links knowledge and questions from the history of ideas, cultural anthropology and philosophy, and shows great sensitivity to cultural archetypes and their symptoms in the visual arts.