Theory of art Books

Book SynopsisMatched to the first teaching 2025 syllabus, this Course Book breaks down and clarifies all the assessment components of the course. It guides learners through each assessment task, with a range of authentic student artwork samples which contextualize the exam criteria, reinforce comprehension and build confidence.

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Book Synopsis''The most original and illuminating study of the subject'' New YorkerPhotographs are everywhere. From high art to family albums to legal evidence, they capture and document the world around us. And whether we use them to expose, reveal or remember, they hold an enduring power.In this essential and revelatory volume, Susan Sontag confronts important questions surrounding the power dynamics between photographer and subject, the blurred boundary between lived events and recreated images, and the desires that lead us to record our lives.''Complex and contradictory... one of America''s greatest public intellectuals'' Observer''Susan Sontag offers enough food for thought to satisfy the most intellectual of appetites'' The Times''A brilliant analysis of the profound changes photographic images have had in our way of looking at the world, and at ourselves, over the years'' Washington Post

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Book SynopsisThis book comprises a timely and controversial assertion of beauty as vital to the energy of contemporary art. As such it surveys work by an international group of artists who share an intense and highly individualistic focus on the processes of making, authorship and aesthetic poise. An essay by Michael Bracewell shares with its subjects the return of aesthetics to the science of feelings; to the individual as opposed to identity'; and to a sensibility in visual art that is literary, flees the stereotype and rejects sociopolitical verbiage. It is a concept of beauty in some recent art that is less about representation than it is about memoir, fictional devices, cultural connoisseurship as praxis and the profundity of human relationships.

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Book SynopsisAlongside her career as an artist, Phyllida Barlow CBE RA has written, taught, lectured, and been the subject of numerous interviews. This book brings together 50 texts by Barlow - a diverse array of prose, presentations, reflections on artists, and conversations with art-world luminaries, critics, and fellow artists.

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Book SynopsisSophie Williamson is Programme Curator: Exhibitions at Camden Arts Centre, London. She has written for frieze, Art Monthly and Aesthetica, and was the first recipient of the Gasworks Curatorial Fellowship in 2016 as well as completing a research residency at SOMA, Mexico City, through which she built a body of research on cultural translation and molecular curation.

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Book Synopsis'A really good starting point to discover what lights you up' - Emma Gannon 'Unlock your inner creativity and ease your anxiety' Daily Telegraph THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER Since its first publication, The Artist's Way has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert, Tim Ferriss, Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron guides readers in uncovering problems and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to open up opportunities for growth and self-discovery. A revolutionary programme for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life. 'Each time I've learned something important and surprising about myself and my work ... Without The Artist's Way, there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love' - Elizabeth GilbertTrade ReviewThe queen of change * New York Times *I absolutely love this book ... It's a really good starting point to discover what lights you up -- Emma GannonIt's a great tool for any type of creative person. I've given away so many copies -- Tayari JonesMorning pages has become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential * Vogue *It's a big dog book ... [morning pages] gets all the gunk out of my head so that I can just start afresh and focus on whatever is in front of me -- Michaela ColeI talk about this book all the time - I use quotes from it when I interview people, I use techniques from it to improve how I work, I'm pretty obsessed with the book, I've read it twice, it's amazing -- Fearne CottonJulia Cameron is the queen of morning routines [and] has been unlocking our inner creative spirits for more than two decades. Everyone is doing The Artist's Way ... it'll make you more creative * The Cut *Fascinating (and fun) ... Three times in the last decade I've committed to doing The Artist's Way's program, and each time I've learned something important and surprising about myself and my work ... Without The Artist's Way, there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love -- Elizabeth GilbertIf you have always wanted to pursue a creative dream, have always wanted to play and create with words or paints, this book will gently get you started -- Anne LamottUnlock your inner creativity and ease your anxiety * Daily Telegraph *I found my way to writing to an artist workbook called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron ... Being introduced to that book, over 20 years ago, really changed my life. I still do [the morning pages] every day; it gets everything out - right at the top of the day. All the anxiety, all the fear, all the mess - it comes out and then it cracks open and leads you to wherever it is that you're supposed to be inside your creativity. I never wrote until I started The Artist's Way, so I would say: Start there -- Billy PorterSo inspiring -- Reese WitherspoonI picked this book up for the first time when I was twenty-one years old. It completely changed my life. I did it again ten years ago and the impact was again life-altering. Something in my soul was stirring me to come back to it. So ... here we go ... I'm excited to meet myself on this path again -- Kerry WashingtonIt's for any blocked artist ... a year into making the album, I had all this incredible material, it was flowing but then it stopped. Going to the studio was too much pressure. I read a book called The Artist's Way [and] that's how I got back to writing. -- J.ColeThis is a book that addresses a delicate and complex subject. For those who will use it, it is a valuable tool to get in touch with their own creativity -- Martin ScorseseIf you'd like to learn more about getting into the creative mode, I highly recommend The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron -- John CleeseCameron wants you to have a serious think about what you really want from your life * The Times *Julia Cameron invented the way people renovate the creative soul * New York Times *Cameron is simply encouraging her readers to be a bit more open, more patient, and kinder to themselves * New Yorker *This book has been revolutionary in my creative life. It's a must-read for every artist -- Ito AghayereA classic that never loses its power -- Amanda de CadenetUnleashing our creative potential is the key to a more meaningful life * Psychologies *The Artist's Way is great ... the moment I did that, that's when [the music] started to flow -- Ed O'BrienThe book that made a real impact on me is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. My friend [actress and comedian] Sophie Willan recommended it to me years ago, and I still have it on my desk. It enables anyone to tap into their creative self regardless of themselves - we often get in our own way when trying to achieve. Want to write that novel? That play? This is the book. -- Lemn SissayThe Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is my favourite book -- Precious Lee * Vogue *Cameron's morning pages have shaped the lives of millions of others -- Elle Hunt * The Guardian *I've must have read thousands of books, but the one that changed my life is without a doubt The Artist's Way. I am constantly recommending it to my friends and to anyone who is going through a tough time or feels creatively blocked. I have learned so much about myself and what blocks me in my creativity, and even in my daily life, by reading this book. The Artist's Way helped me recover my sense of identity, and gave me a sense of the possibility of what I could achieve for myself ... for me it was a lifesaver -- Patricia Gibney, author of Silent Voices * The Irish Independent *Everything creative I've done has led from the freedom this book gave me. After I read The Artist's Way, I wrote a comedy show and took it to Edinburgh ... this book truly changed the path my life was taking [and] I still go back to it when I feel stuck -- Cariad Lloyd, host of Griefcast and author of You Are Not AloneAbsolutely incredible -- Naomie Harris OBEIf there's a key takeaway from Julia Cameron's cult book The Artist's Way, it's morning pages: the daily practice of three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing done first thing in the morning. Many writers and artists swear by them. * AnOther Magazine *

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Book SynopsisS. Elizabeth curates a sourcebook of more than 200 artworks inspired and informed by the morbid, melancholic and macabre.Table of ContentsIntroduction: In Praise of Shadow PART ONE It’s All in Your Mind I. Dreams & Nightmares II. Psychological Distress III. Whispers from the Void PART TWO The Human Condition IV. Ailments & Afflictions V. Depravity & Destruction VI. Matters of Mortality PART THREE The World Around Us VII. Darkness in Bloom VIII. Where the Wild Things Are IX. Mysterious Landscapes, Ruins & Ravaged Places PART FOUR Visions from Beyond X. Gods & Monsters XI. The Restless Dead & Other Eerie Entities XII. Dark Arts & Forbidden Mysteries Further reading Index Picture credits Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisDesign thinking is the core creative process for any designer; this book explores and explains this apparently mysterious design ability. This new edition is a completely revised, updated and extended version of a classic text.Focusing on what designers actually do when they are designing, the book is structured around a series of in-depth case studies of the work of outstanding and expert designers, interwoven and developed with commentary and comparison. The coverage reflects the breadth of design from architecture to engineering, consumer products to communications, and from individual designing to teamwork and collaborative designing. The scale of designing ranges from Formula One racing cars to city commuting cars, locomotives to bicycles, sewing machines to litter bins and lemon squeezers. The book is based on evidence from observation and investigation of design practice, providing insights into and understanding of design thinking, and the development of design ability from novTrade ReviewI came across the first edition of this book and adopted it immediately for my instructional design course…The second edition is even richer with engaging storytelling and case studies. A must-read for future designers-to-be. * Minjuan Wang, Professor and Chair of Learning Design and Technology, San Diego State University, USA *This is the classic book on how designers think and work. While based on solid research, it is also a compelling read: the interviews, case studies and stories from design practice are lively and very accessible. There still is no better explanation. * Kees Dorst, Professor of Transdisciplinary Innovation, University of Technology Sydney, Australia *Are you looking for a book that can help you advance your ability to be a reflective designer? This straightforward book takes on the complex topic of design thinking and gives you gems to reflect on and incorporate into your own design practice. * Cynthia Atman, Professor of Human Centered Design and Engineering and Director of CELT, University of Washington, USA *Nigel Cross has been at the forefront of research in design thinking for several decades. This book elegantly encapsulates his exceptional knowledge of just what it is that makes designing such a unique and valuable activity. * Peter Lloyd, Professor of Integrated Design Methodology, TU Delft, the Netherlands *This book highlights the core characteristics of design thinking and its processes through empirical case studies on how designers generate creative designs. Nigel Cross, a pioneer in design research and methodology, analyzes design thinking with insights based on his long-standing experience, which can be of great help to design researchers, educators and students. * Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean of the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University *Design thinking has radically changed the world. Long before the concept got traction in many disciplines beyond design, Nigel already engaged deeply with the cognitive processes of designers and architects. This book is a much needed refresher on the understanding of these fascinating phenomena. As a design professor with a background in psychology, I am hugely inspired by this book. * Cees de Bont, Dean of the School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK *Table of ContentsIllustration Credits Preface Acknowledgements Introduction The Design of this Book 1. Design Ability Studying Design Ability Asking Designers About What They Do Deconstructing What Designers Do Watching What Designers Do Thinking About What Designers Do Understanding What Designers Do 2. Designing to Win Background: Formula One Designing Radical Innovation Self-adjusting Suspension Pit Stops Designing from First Principles Steering Column Analogical Thinking Integrated Design City Car Modelling Learning from Failure Design Process and Working Methods 3. Designing to Please Background: The Art of Technical Design Looking for Improvement Sewing Machine Constructive Thinking Going Beyond the Brief Locomotive Fixation Learning from Failure Design Process and Working Methods 4. How Designers Think Motivation and Attitude Other Outstanding Designers Common Features Strategic Thinking Creative Thinking Problem Framing Co-evolution 5. Designing to Use The Experiment Design in Action Systems View First Principles Designing for Clients and Users Discussion: Design strategy 6. Designing Together Teamwork in Design Roles and Relationships Planning and Changing Activities Gathering and Sharing Information Generating and Adopting Concepts Plastic Tray Persuasion Avoiding and Resolving Conflicts Discussion: Design Co-operation 7. How Designers Work Creative Working Team Working Team Leadership Design Process Structure Versus Spontaneity Collaborative Designing Creative Designing The Creative Bridge 8. Design Expertise Experts and Novices From Novice to Expert Development of Expertise Developing Design Thinking Expertise in Teamwork Design Intelligence The Designing Brain Glossary References Index

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Book SynopsisHow have artists responded to our market-driven, tech-enabled culture of speed? Viewing Velocities explores a contemporary art scene caught in the gears of 24/7 capitalism. It looks at artists who embrace the high-octane experience economy and others who are closer to the slow movement. Some of the most compelling artworks addressing the cadences of contemporary work and leisure play on distinct, even contradictory conceptions of time. From Danh Vo's relics to Moyra Davey's photographs of dust-covered belongings, from Roman Ondak's queuing performers and Susan Hiller's outdoor sleepers to Maria Eichhorn's art strike and Ruth Ewan's giant reconstruction of the French revolutionary calendar, artists have drawn out aspects of the present temporal order that are familiar to the point of near-invisibility, while outlining other, more liberating ways of conceiving, organising and experiencing time.Marcus Verhagen builds on the work of theorists Jonathan Crary, Hartmut Rosa and Jacques Rancière to trace lines of insurgent art that recast struggles over time and history in novel and revealing terms.Trade ReviewCompelling and groundbreaking. These analyses point toward imaginative possibilities beyond the dispiriting neoliberal imperatives now increasingly imposed on us. -- Jonathan Crary, author of Scorched EarthA fine reading of contemporary art's engagements with social acceleration and the regulation of time. -- Julian Stallabrass, author of Killing for ShowOffers a lucid and capacious analysis of how contemporary art has, over the last three decades or so, addressed our society's troubled experience with the speed and pace of life under capitalism -- J.J. Charlesworth * ArtReview *Marcus Verhagen is one of the finest art critics writing today. -- Malcolm Bull

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Book SynopsisThis premium anniversary edition of The Complete Color Harmony gives you the color explorations, insights, and palettes from the original version in a deluxe new package that includes a pullout poster, gatefold foreword by internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Stuart Semple, and all-new image references.The Complete Color Harmony was the first book published by the acclaimed design publisher Rockport Publishers, and has gone on to become an essential reference for generations of designers. This special edition of that classic reference celebrates Rockport Publisher’s 40th anniversary.Get an introduction to using the color wheel and discover the key aspects of color, such as warm, cool, pale, and bright. Then, delve into moods and color and see how a wide variety of palettes can come across as earthy, powerful, regal, calm, dependable, and more.In this book you’ll discover: 

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Book Synopsis'I always keep a copy of Art & Fear on my bookshelf' JAMES CLEAR, author of the #1 best-seller Atomic Habits 'A timeless cult classic ... I've stolen tons of inspiration from this book over the years and so will you' AUSTIN KLEON, NYTimes bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist Art & Fear is about the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. Drawing on the authors' own experiences as two working artists, the book delves into the internal and external challenges to making art in the real world, and shows how they can be overcome every day. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic, and word-of-mouth has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity. Written by artists for artists, it offers generous and wise insight into what it feels like to sit down at your easel or keyboard, in your studio or performance space, trying to do the work you need to do. Every artist, whether a beginner or a prizewinner, a student or a teacher, faces the same fears - and this book illuminates the way through them.Trade ReviewFilled with reminders and insights that every artist and creator needs to hear. I always keep a copy of Art & Fear on my bookshelf. -- james Clear, author of the #1 bestseller * Atomic Habits *Artists confront their deeper fears daily. It's inevitable in artmaking. This book is a crucial tool in validating, soothing, and navigating the fear that might otherwise stop an artist from making their work. Fear is unavoidable but it need not dictate the artist's choices. This book is a vital companion. -- Beth Pickens, author * Make Your Art No Matter What *An essential text for anyone who wants to start making art and not stop. One of those rare books - like The Artist's Way and Writing Down the Bones - to keep close by for courage and company. -- Tanya Shadrick, author * The Cure for Sleep *It has earned its reputation for being a useful, underground classic ... it's a pithy, though comforting read, written by artists, and gets straight down to what can hinder our development as artists, and why ... refreshingly absent of psycho-babble or opaque art-speak -- The London GroupOne of those books you want to tell everyone you know to read * LiveAboutDotCom *A book that artists continue to recommend and connect with ... It's concise, clear, compelling and worth coming back to over and over -- Artwork ArchiveA roadmap for overcoming the everyday obstacles of a creative life * Skillshare *

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Book SynopsisTheodor Adorno (1903-69) was undoubtedly the foremost thinker of the Frankfurt School, the influential group of German thinkers that fled to the US in the 1930s, including such thinkers as Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer. His work has proved enormously influential in sociology, philosophy and cultural theory. Aesthetic Theory is Adorno's posthumous magnum opus and the culmination of a lifetime's investigation. Analysing the sublime, the ugly and the beautiful, Adorno shows how such concepts frame and distil human experience and that it is human experience that ultimately underlies aesthetics. In Adorno's formulation ‘art is the sedimented history of human misery'.Trade Review"...the fact that they [Continuum] are putting low price tags on works once published in expensive academic editions is something of which we can all be glad.." -Modern Painters, 2/05Table of ContentsTranslator's Acknowledgement \ Translator's Introduction \ 1. Art, Society, Aesthetics \ 2. Situation \ 3. On the Categories of the Ugly, the Beautiful, and Technique \ 4. Natural Beauty \ 5. Art Beauty: Apparition, Spiritualization, Intuitability \ 6. Semblance and Expression \ 7. Enigmaticalness, Truth Content, Metaphysics \ 8. Coherence and Meaning \ 9. Subject-Object \ 10. Toward a Theory of the Artwork \ 11. Universal and Particular \ 12. Society \ 13. Paralimpomena \ 14. Theories On the Origin of Art \ 15. Draft Introduction \ Editor's Afterword.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] remarkably insightful book. . . . [Global Objects] illustrates how the hegemony of power attributed to ‘fine art’, as distinguished from objects that have a utility in our daily lives, has resulted in a poverty of taste as well as the perpetuation of self-fulfilling prophecies about the importance of the so called ‘sublime’ in the construction of civilizations."---Donald Brackett, Critics at Large"A fascinating Tintin-esque history of many human artifacts that have truly global pedigrees. . . . An interesting read."---Jesse Russell, University Bookman"Challenging the binaries of Western versus Other and “high” versus “low” art in this book, Cooke presents a revisionist approach to global material culture that frames art objects as embodiments of social interactions across space and time. Global Objects. . .makes mate­rial culture studies digestible to individuals who seek to understand objects beyond the traditional fields of Western art history . . . [and] presents a necessary methodological revision to material culture studies in the post-colonial era."---Yasmine Yakupper, 21: Inquiries into Art, History, and the Visual – Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte und visuellen Kultur"One of the great successes of Cooke’s Global Objects is it is an analysis based on a significant number of case studies, a corpus of considerable scale. The attention paid to the objects themselves and the important place they occupy in the whole of Cooke’s study, both visually and in terms of the narrative, make Global Objects a solid and handsome contribution to the history of art."---Noémie Etienne, The Art Bulletin

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Book SynopsisAlison Bancroft is a writer and cultural critic. She specialises in interdisciplinary approaches to modern and contemporary art and visual culture, and is committed to working across all media and contexts. Her research interests include visual culture and theory, psychoanalytic thought, and sexualities. She was awarded her PhD by the University of London in 2010. This is her first book.Table of ContentsIntroduction One: Fashion Photography and the Myth of the Unified Subject Two: Inspiring Desire: The Case for Haute Couture Three: Queering Fashion, Dressing Transgression Four: Fashion, Text, Symptom Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhen it comes to viewing art, living in the information age is not necessarily a benefit. So argues Michael Findlay in this book that encourages a new way of looking at art. Much of this thinking involves stripping away what we have been taught and instead trusting our own instincts, opinions, and reactions. Including reproductions of works by Mark Rothko, Paul Klee, Joan Miro , Jacob Lawrence, and other modern and contemporary masters, this book takes readers on a journey through modern art. Chapters such as "What Is a Work of Art?" "Can We Look and See at the Same Time?" and "Real Connoisseurs Are Not Snobs," not only give readers the confidence to form their own opinions, but also encourages them to make connections that spark curiosity, intellect, and imagination. "The most important thing for us to grasp," writes Findlay, "is that the essence of a great work of art is inert until it is seen. Our engagement with the work of art liberates its essence." After reading this book, even the most intimidated art viewer will enter a museum or gallery feeling more confident and leave it feeling enriched and inspired.Trade Review"I highly recommend Michael Findlay's new book, Seeing Slowly: Looking at Modern Art, published in September by Prestel. A longtime director at New York's Acquavella Galleries and, before that, the longtime head of Christie's department of Impressionist and modern art, Findlay is a veteran of the most specialized art speak and practical matters of history, condition, provenance - the works. Nevertheless, he believes that an appreciation of great art does not depend on knowledge of context and, in some cases, can actually be hindered by it." - Sarah Douglas, Editor-in-Chief, ArtNews

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Book SynopsisBorn in Bern, Switzerland in 1933, Harald Szeemann was a crucial force in identifying, exhibiting, and writing about the important new movements in postwar contemporary art. This collection of seventy-four texts from the curator's vast body of written work-which includes essays, lectures, studio notes, reviews, interviews, correspondence, and transcripts-introduces the depth of his method, insight, and inclusive artistic interests. The pieces have been translated from German and French and collected in an informed, authoritative edition, making this the first time Szeemann's work is accessible in English. The first two sections of this volume republish Szeemann's anthologies "Museum der Obsessionen" (1981) and "Individuelle Mythologien" (1985). The final part assembles important writing from 1986 until his death in 2005 to represent the later years of his career and round out a record of his contribution to and dialogue with later twentieth century art and artists. The book's publication coincides with the opening of the Getty Research Institute's exhibition Harald Szeemann: Museum of Obsessions, as well as a satellite show that recreates on Szeemann's "Grandfather exhibition" at the Institute of Contempoary Art, Los Angeles.

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Book SynopsisLinda Nochlin explores the contradictions and dissonances that mark experience as well as art. Her book confronts the issues posed in representations of the body in the art of impressionists, modern masters, and contemporary realists and post-modernists.Trade ReviewIt is a pleasure to hear Nochlin thinking aloud even where she is deliberately inconclusive. Particularly absorbing is her examination of Trouville, a liminal dream-kingdom which in the 1860s rapidly became both Paris by the sea and a potentially perilous vantagepoint from which the sublime vastness of the Atlantic Ocean might be glimpsed. A sceptic could point out that she reads a lot into Monet’s ambiguous use of perspective in his Hotel des Roches Noires of 1870, but it is a rare pleasure to encounter anyone thinking seriously about Monet at all. Similarly, the motif of the bather (in the sense of bath-taker rather than swimmer) provides a springboard for a highly original reading of Pierre Bonnard, another artist often dismissed as a woolly-headed sensualist… [Nochlin has a] knack for looking at canonical artists from fresh perspectives. -- Keith Miller * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisFocuses on the author's sustained inquiry into the paradoxical relationship of art to life and into the nature of meaning itself.Trade Review"Throughout these essays there is a lyric impulse, a rising of the heart, a moral passion that represents the spirit of the 60s at its best. At the same time Kaprow's thinking is exceedingly rigorous. . . . He has the optimism of the period without its willed naïveté." * Art in America *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Preface to the Expanded Edition: On the Way to Un-Art THE FIFTIES The Legacy of Jackson Pollock (1958) Notes on the Creation of a Total Art (1958) THE SIXTIES Happenings in the New York Scene (1961) Impurity (1963) The Artist as a Man of the World (1964) The Happenings Are Dead: Long Live the Happenings! (1966) Experimental Art (1966) Manifesto (1966) Pinpointing Happenings (1967) The Shape of the Art Environment (1968) THE SEVENTIES The Education of the Un-Artist, Part I (1971) The Education of the Un-Artist, Part II (1972) Doctor MD (1973) The Education of the Un-Artist, Part III (1974) Video Art: Old Wine, New Bottle (1974) Formalism: Flogging a Dead Horse (1974) Nontheatrical Performance (1976) Participation Performance (1977) Performing Life (1979) THE EIGHTIES The Real Experiment (1983) Art Which Can't Be Art (1986) Right Living (1987) THE NINETIES The Meaning of Life (1990) Maestro Maciunas (1996) Just Doing (1997) Selected Bibliography of Allan Kaprow's Writings on Art Index 257

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Book SynopsisPioneering work by the great modernist painter, considered by many to be the father of abstract art and a leader in the movement to free art from traditional bonds. 12 illustrations.

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Book Synopsis'Approaching the different and manifold sequences in this book...one will gradually come to realise that metamorphosis can become an ideal for knowledge, a guiding path for self-knowledge and knowledge of the world - as intuitive contemplation and as artistic creation.' - Dr Peter Wolf What is metamorphosis? Through the medium of art, sculptor Gertraud Goodwin invites us to enter the realm of time and continuously changing movement in this highly original book. With chapters by various artists and writers, interwoven with her key insights, Goodwin offers numerous points of entry to understanding the mystery of metamorphosis. Profusely-illustrated in colour, we are shown many sequences of images - of sculptures, reliefs and graphic works - which, with the aid of informed commentary, we are invited to 'read'. These images belong together, developing from one to the next - just as single experiences and events in life belong to our biographies. One motif, one movement, passes through all stages, from simple beginnings and more differentiated formations, to a culmination - and, from there, back to a more mature simplicity and concentration, which makes a new beginning possible.' In relation to the transcendent, where ordinary words fail, the language of form, texture and relations in space, like those of music in time, offer alternatives to words, perhaps less encumbered by preconceptions. These pages offer many examples of the beauties and mysteries of metamorphosis, which is itself an essential component of Nature's creative language.' - Dr Philip Kilner

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Book SynopsisThis is a cultural history of mathematics and art, from antiquity to the present. Mathematicians and artists have long been on a quest to understand the physical world they see before them and the abstract objects they know by thought alone. Taking readers on a tour of the practice of mathematics and the philosophical ideas that drive the disciplinTrade Review"This is a marvelous coffee table book ... very well researched and documented. It touches upon so many fundamental questions that philosophers, scientists, mathematicians and artists have asked since antiquity. But yet it guides the reader smoothly through all these competing visions and theories without becoming dull or getting lost in abstraction. This is the history of Western civilization with particular interest in art and mathematics, illuminating and instructive, and all wrapped up in a rich, colorful, and fancy book."--Adhemar Bultheel, European Mathematical Society "This is the beauty and power of this book: [Mathematics and Art] is an intellectual tour de force of art history and its interaction with mathematics that will draw most readers, including me, back for further reading and study."--Frank Swetz, MAA Reviews "Excellent new book... Overall this is a comprehensive, valuable and detailed book. It is written in an accessible style, with enough mathematics to interest the technical reader without overwhelming one with an arts background... Its rich anthology is particularly relevant today, given the explosion of interest in the digital arts and the need for digital artists to use maths creatively. I will definitely be keeping it close at hand."--William Latham, New Scientist "The author does an artful job in creating a wide-ranging and beautifully illustrated survey that mathematicians and art historians will enjoy."--John Barrow, The Art Newspaper "This sumptuously illustrated book chronicles the history of mathematics through its intersection with the development of visual art... Gamwell articulates the compelling, far-reaching connections within these fields in a way that is rewarding for scholars yet accessible to non-specialists."--Choice "Beautiful books that display the beauty of art are fine additions to many coffee tables; beautiful books that display the beauty of mathematics are fine additions to few coffee tables. Gamwell's impressive work integrates the beauty of these two disciplines to create a work larger than their sum... A book for all ages and of all ages: truly a brilliant 'millennial' composition!"--Sandra L. Arlinghaus, Mathematical Reviews "This splendidly produced volume will appeal to everybody interested in mathematics and art and offers room for agreement and disagreement with the author... This volume stands out by its richness in contents, its wealth of colour reproductions and, last but not least, its very affordable price."--Dirk Werner, Zentralblatt MATH "This wonderful book gives a very thorough overview of the impact of mathematics (and science) of the visual arts (and architecture) over the centuries."--Eos "An interesting read, filled with paradigm-shifting history and art, the book still posits a linear perspective of the relationship of art and mathematics, specifically recounting the ways math has influenced art."--Karie Brown, Mathematics Teacher "A monumental volume... Excellently illustrated by 523 images... Many highlighted quotations from writings of outstanding personalities of the sciences and the arts make the volume more colourful."--Gyorgy Darvas, Symmetry "Mathematics and Art is an enjoyable read accessible to anyone interested in the history of mathematics and art."--Andre Michael Hahn, British Journal for the History of ScienceTable of ContentsFOREWORD by Neil deGrasse Tyson IX PREFACE XI 1 Arithmetic and Geometry 1 2 Proportion 73 3 Infinity 109 4 Formalism 151 5 Logic 197 6 Intuitionism 225 7 Symmetry 249 8 Utopian Visions after World War I 277 9 The Incompleteness of Mathematics 321 10 Computation 355 1 1 Geometric Abstraction after World War II 385 12 Computers in Mathematics and Art 455 13 Platonism in the Postmodern Era 499 NOTES 512 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 547 CREDITS 548 INDEX 549

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Book SynopsisOriginally delivered as the prestigious Mellon Lectures on the Fine Arts in 1995, After the End of Art remains a classic of art criticism and philosophy, and continues to generate heated debate for contending that art ended in the 1960s. Arthur Danto, one of the best-known art critics of his time, presents radical insights into art's irrevocable deTrade ReviewWinner of the 1998 Eugene M. Kayden National University Press Book Prize, University of Colorado at Boulder "If you are seriously attentive to contemporary art, you are already aware of Danto and his general positions, and owe it to yourself to read this book. If you are not, but are genuinely curious, you would do well to follow him... Throughout it is clear and direct; at best, it is brilliantly crystalline... I know of no more useful single book on art today."--Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun "Is Danto gloomy about the end of art? Not in the slightest... Danto is nothing if not cheered by the prospect of an art world in which everything is permitted."--Roger Copeland, Wilson Quarterly "... the need for critical works such as this one--learned, discerning and refreshingly open-minded--is perhaps greater than ever."--Publishers Weekly "In this, Dr. Danto's best book yet, he helps us make sense of the times we are living in."--Richard Dorment, The Art Newspaper "Required reading for anyone seriously interested in late-modern and contemporary art."--Library Journal "Danto was and remains the high priest of pluralism, and arch-critic of the view that art has a distinctive essence... The chapters in this book are a challenging read, but a good one, because they take us to the heart of a living and profoundly interesting contemporary debate."--A.C. Grayling, Financial Times "Danto makes a lively and stimulating case [about the end of art]... The source ... of all ths mental labor is Andy Warhol, or more precisely his Brillo box sculpture... The utter banality of the piece sent 600 years of art history crashing to the ground in ruins."--Boston Book ReviewTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Foreword to the Princeton Classics Edition xi Preface xvii Acknowledgments xxi CHAPTER ONE Introduction: Modern, Postmodern, and Contemporary 3 CHAPTER TWO Three Decades after the End of Art 21 CHAPTER THREE Master Narratives and Critical Principles 41 CHAPTER FOUR Modernism and the Critique of Pure Art: The Historical Vision of Clement Greenberg 61 CHAPTER FIVE From Aesthetics to Art Criticism 81 CHAPTER SIX Painting and the Pale of History: The Passing of the Pure 101 CHAPTER SEVEN Pop Art and Past Futures 117 CHAPTER EIGHT Painting, Politics, and Post-Hisotrical Art 135 CHAPTER NINE The Historical Museum of Monochrome Art 153 CHAPTER TEN Museums and the Thirsting Millions 175 CHAPTER ELEVEN Modalities of History: Possibility and Comedy 193 Index 221

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Book SynopsisToday, art and science are often defined in opposition to each other: one involves the creation of individual aesthetic objects, and the other the discovery of general laws of nature. Throughout human history, however, the boundaries have been less clearly drawn: knowledge and artifacts have often issued from the same source, the head and hands of the artisan. And artists and scientists have always been linked, on a fundamental level, by their reliance on creative thinking. Art and Science is the only book to survey the vital relationship between these two fields of endeavour in its full scope, from prehistory to the present day. Individual chapters explore how science has shaped architecture in every culture and civilisation; how mathematical principles and materials science have underpinned the decorative arts; how the psychology of perception has spurred the development of painting; how graphic design and illustration have evolved in tandem with methTrade Review"An accessible work, rich and well researched." -- La Monde "Attractive, heavily illustrated, and up-to-date, this gift book provides a quick synopsis of human achievement during the past few millennia. While it falls gracefully into the category of coffee-table book, it is not all fluff...the book deftly covers all the expected historical developments without rendering them dull." -- Library Journal "An abundantly illustrated history of the dynamic interaction between the arts and sciences shows hows it has shaped our world, from prehistory to the present." -- Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsContents: The art and science dialogue A dynamic history Science in architecture Decoration: a path to hi-tech Painting and cognition The language of graphic design Technique and the performing arts An art and science symbiosis Bibliography Index of names Index of subjects Credits

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Book SynopsisBeauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference. In this Very Short Introduction the renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object - either in art, in nature, or the human form - beautiful, and examining how we can compare differing judgements of beauty when it is evident all around us that our tastes vary so widely. Is there a right judgement to be made about beauty? Is it right to say there is more beauty in a classical temple than a concrete office block, more in a Rembrandt than in last year''s Turner Prize winner? Forthright and thought-provoking, and as accessible as it is intellectually rigorous, this introduction to the philosophy of beauty draws conclusions that some may find controversial, but, as Scruton shows, help us to find greater sense of meaning in the beautiful objects that fill our lives.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewMouthwatering design-compact, colorful, sturdy. Can travel in one's pocket. * Walks of Art, Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Judging beauty ; 2. Human beauty ; 3. Natural beauty ; 4. Everyday beauty ; 5. Artistic beauty ; 6. Taste and order ; 7. Art and Eros ; 8. The flight from beauty ; 9. Concluding thoughts ; Notes and Further Reading

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Book SynopsisDrawing on unpublished archival sources, this book reconstitutes the experiences of a wide range of American artists, critics, and writers working in Rome in a charged environment of Cold War cosmopolitanism.After the Second World War, American artists flocked to Rome in record numbers, even as the United States shored up Italy as a bulwark against the spread of Communism. While the market for modern art in Rome was less vigorous as those in Paris and New York, numerous galleries, artist-run spaces, and other institutions acted as important catalysts, making Rome an international artistic hub. The city attracted now canonical figures Lee Bontecou, Philip Guston, Robert Rauschenberg, Paul Thek, and Cy Twombly, along with less well-known artists, such as Eugene Berman, Gene Charlton, Carlyle Brown, Peter Chinni, William Congdon, Claire Falkenstein, Marcia Hafif, John Heliker, James Leong, Beverly Pepper, and Laura Ziegler, among many others.Rather than focusing

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Book SynopsisSince its first appearance in 1931 Herbert Read''s introduction to the understanding of art has established itself as a classic of its kind. It provides a basis for the appreciation of paintings, sculpture and art-objects of all periods by defining the elements that went into their making. A compact survey of the world''s art, from primitive cave-drawings to Jackson Pollock, The Meaning of Art explains the persistence of certain principles and aspirations throughout the history of art, and summarizes the essence of such movements as Gothic, Baroque, Impressionism, Expressionism and Surrealism.This new Faber Modern Classics edition features a brand new foreword by Will Gompertz, BBC arts editor.

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Book SynopsisWhat Makes Great Art showcases a selection of 80 outstanding paintings and sculptures from around the world and throughout time, assessing just what it is that makes them so great.

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Book SynopsisThe Language of Displayed Art, first published in 1994, is a seminal work in the field of Multimodality and one of the few to be entirely dedicated to the analysis and interpretation of works of art. This book explores the grammar of the visual arts of painting, sculpture and architecture, proposing that as viewers we simultaneously read three different kinds of meaning in them: what is represented (Representational meaning) how it engages us (Modal meaning) how it is composed (Compositional meaning). The second edition features: two new chapters; an extended discussion of Chapter 5 Why Semiotics; and an extended version of Chapter 7 with more illustrations of language forms, discourse norms and genres, as well as non-art visual modes. The book is now accompanied by a CD, created by the author and features a virtual gallery of twenty-eight additional paintings with questions to encourage analysis and interpretaTrade Review'Occasionally a book comes along which takes over your whole field of attention and resets the way you look at some aspect of experience. For me "The Language of Displayed Art" was one such book. It opened up the world of painting, architecture and sculpture, bringing out its dimensions and depth of meaning and adding significantly to my understanding- and therefore to my enjoyment- of familiar and not so familiar works of art.' M.A.K. Halliday, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, University of Sydney, Australia 'My favourite bedtime reading beautifully restored and given a new lease of life... this new colour edition with supporting CD-ROM has at last given this timeless masterpiece of art criticism the limelight it has long deserved. A cultural treasure trove for new acquaintances, for old fans the return of a sorely-missed truly multimodal companion.' Anthony Baldry, University of Messina, Italy Table of Contents1. Semiotics At Work 2. Bodily Perceptions: A Semiotics of Sculpture 3. A Semiotics of Architecture 4. Semiotics Across the Arts

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Book SynopsisA selection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings on painting. Martin Kemp and Margaret Walker have edited material not only from his so-called "Treatise on Painting" but also from his surviving manuscripts and from other primary sources.Trade Review"Highly recommended" Apollo Magazine "Highly readable... Also included are documentary sources and letters illuminating Leonardo's career; the manuscript sources for all of Leonardo's statements are fully cited in the notes. The volume is skillfully translated and is illustrated with appropriate examples of drawings and paintings by the artist." Choice "Easier to read and more convenient than previous compilations." Charles Hope, New York Review of Books "A chaotic assemblage of Leonardo da Vinci's writings appeared in 1651 as Treatise on Painting... Kemp successfully applies order to the chaos." ArtNews

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Book SynopsisAmericans, on average, spend between six and ten seconds looking at individual artworks in museums or galleries. This book dwells upon various media-photography, painting, sculpture, "living pictures," film, video, digital and performance art - and even light, time, and space, from both the present and past.Trade Review"...what in another writer’s hands might have been a dry academic treatise turns out to be a lively ramble through high and low culture, touching on the likes of Diderot, Goethe, David Foster Wallace, Susan Sontag, Sleeping Beauty, the Countess de Castiglione and Andy Warhol." * Wall Street Journal *"Reed seeds his profundities throughout Slow Art in example after example, weaving them into compelling histories that get you thinking about art in new ways." * The Santa Fe New Mexican *"It has an interesting point to make when it comes to the relationship between stillness and motion, layering and adding dimensions as well as approaching art from a “slow” angle instead of the artwork itself necessarily carrying such qualities. What seems to be a fad and neologism, is actually based on a concept that harks back to ancient times yet what is exemplified in the book is that it is inextricably with our current state of affairs and the future." * Scene Point Blank *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Video Examples Acknowledgments Introduction: Marking Time PART I: DRAWING OUT SLOW ART 1. What Is Slow Art? (When Images Swell into Events and Events Condense into Images) 2. Living(?) Pictures PART II: EPISODES FROM A SHORT HISTORY OF SLOW LOOKING 3. Before Slow Art 4. Slow Art Emerges in Modernity I: Secularization from Diderot to Wilde 5. Slow Art Emerges in Modernity II: The Great Age of Speed PART III: SLOW ART NOW 6. Slow Fiction, Film, Video, Performance Art, 1960 to 2010 7. Slow Photography, Painting, Installation Art, Sculpture, 1960 to 2010 8. Angel and Devil of Slow Art Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisLearning in and through the arts can develop complex and subtle aspects of the mind, argues Elliot Eisner in this book. Offering an array of examples, he describes different approaches to the teaching of the arts and shows how these refine forms of thinking that are valuable in dealing with our daily life.Trade Review"Eloquent."—Library Journal The 2005 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Education"Elliot Eisner is long regarded as one of the most eloquent and best informed of those critical of the technicism dominating so many schools. At once, he is known as a trailbreaker in contemporary efforts to make the artistic-aesthetic dimension of experience central in public education’s classrooms. This book reimagines the kinds of reforms needed in education, as it brings together Eisner’s generative notions about learning and teaching, arts-based research, and (climactically) a conception of mind as process, a way of being in and acting upon the world. Encounters with the arts, Eisner tells us, can nurture and enrich mind in its becoming. The very idea of 'creation' in this context opens perspectives on ways of making 'mind' the beating heart of live and humane schools."—Maxine Greene, Teachers College, Columbia University "Elliot W. Eisner is the preeminent spokesperson for the arts in education. Not since John Dewey has an American scholar written with such insight, power, and grace about the arts and the development of mind. Professor Eisner reveals, through the art of his own thought, the exciting role the arts can play in the education of the nation’s youth. This sensitive vision explains why the arts are justified in education on their own merits."—Michael Day, professor in department of visual arts, Brigham Young University, author of Children and Their Art"This book is an eloquent addition to any art educator’s library. Eisner’s greatest gift is his ability to perceive and capture, making the ineffable richly apparent. This book represents his lifetime achievement in the arts through compelling discussions by many prominent arts educators. It resonates with Eisner’s work and provokes us to re-think all that we may take for granted. I highly recommend this volume for anyone interested in promoting or studying the arts in education."—Rita C. Irvin, Professor, Department of Curriculum Studies, University of British Columbia"By illuminating the various ways that making and appreciating art are cognitive endeavors, Eisner invites us to celebrate the uniqueness of art education and entices us to explore the rich connections between thinking and learning in the arts and in other areas."—Shari Tishman, Harvard University"In straightforward, accessible language, Eisner takes us deeply into the realm of the arts, a realm of unique, powerful meanings available nowhere else. A life without these meanings is a life impoverished, Eisner explains, and an education that neglects them is similarly impoverished. The arts, here, receive a cogent, richly argued justification as basic in education and in life."—Bennett Reimer, author of A Philosophy of Music Education: Advancing the Vision

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Book SynopsisDuring his decades of world fame as a novelist, Tolstoy also wrote prolifically in a series of essays and polemics on issues of morality, social justice and religion. These works culminated in What is Art?, published in 1898. Impassioned and iconoclastic, this powerfully influential work both criticizes the elitist nature of art in nineteenth-century Western society, and rejects the idea that its sole purpose should be the creation of beauty. The works of Dante, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Baudelaire and Wagner are all vigorously condemned, as Tolstoy explores what he believes to be the spiritual role of the artist - arguing that true art must work with religion and science as a force for the advancement of mankind.Table of ContentsWhat Is Art? - Leo Tolstoy Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky with a Preface by Richard PevearPrefaceBibliographical NoteA Note on the TextWHAT IS ART?Appendix IAppendix IINotes

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Book SynopsisArthur C. Danto is professor emeritus of philosophy at Columbia University. He is the art critic for the Nation and has served as president of the American Philosophical Association.Table of ContentsThe Philosophical Disenfranchisement of Art, by Jonathan Gilmore The Appreciation and Interpretation of Works of Art Deep Interpretation Language, Art, Culture, Text The End of Art Art and Disturbation Philosophy as/and/of Literature Philosophizing Literature Art, Evolution, and the Consciousness of History

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Book SynopsisA ground-breaking attempt at a prolegomenon to the study of style, this collection brings together eleven essays by distinguished philosophers, literary theorists, art historians, and musicologists, all addressing the role played by style in the arts and literature.

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Book SynopsisA must-read book on David Pye''s theory of craftsmanship and design.In this thoroughly mechanised age, what is the point of craft? Does it make any sense to work with hand tools when machines can do the same job faster, and in many cases better? What visual richness do we lose by embracing a mass-produced world? The Nature and Art of Workmanship explores the meaning of skill and its relationship to design and manufacture. Cutting through a century of fuzzy thinking, David Pye proposes a new theory of making based on the concepts of ''workmanship of risk'' and ''workmanship of certainty''. And he shows how good workmanship imparts all-important diversity to our visual environment.No-one who works with tools and materials, or who designs things for others to make, can afford to be without this penetrating book. This newly revised edition includes an illustrated foreword by John Kelsey, former editor of Fine Woodworking magazine, on David Pye''s own turned and carved vessels of wood beautiful, insightful pieces that embody the truth of Pye''s ideas.Table of ContentsForeword: Apostle of workmanship 1. Design proposes. Workmanship disposes 2. The workmanship of risk, the workmanship of certainty 3. Is anything done by hand? 4. Quality in workmanship 5. The designer's power to communicate his intentions 6. The natural order reflected in the work of a man 7. Diversity 8. Durability 9. Equivocality 10. Critique of 'On the Nature of Gothic' 11. The aesthetic importance of workmanship, and its future Index

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Book SynopsisTwo authorities on popular culture reveal the ways in which art can enhance mood and enrich lives - now available in paperbackTrade Review'A cultural cure for what ails you.' – Elle'A highly optimistic vision... Roams widely through subjects as immense as love, nature, money and politics. De Botton and Armstrong's examination of love is most rewarding.' – Royal Academy of Arts'Massages the mind in all the right places.' – Vanity Fair'...Like going back to college, but in a good way... A little bit like dipping in to a modern day Gombrich albeit through the eyes of Oprah... A really entertaining and thought-provoking look at the role that art plays – or could play – in our lives. [...] Part philosophy, part art history, the book takes work that is considered by many to be lofty and rarified, and relates it to our everyday lives. [Art as Therapy] makes the reader consider the work far more intensely and deeply than perhaps we otherwise would.' – A Little Bird'A true meditation on the power art has to transform our lives.' – The Mayfair Magazine'The beautifully designed and illustrated book, Art as Therapy argues for a new way of using art to help us with a variety of psychological ills.' – The School of Life

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