Description

The internationally bestselling author on how art can help us appreciate life in all its strange and exhilarating beauty

Artists have learnt to pay attention. The rest of us spend most of our time on autopilot, rushing from place to place, our overfamiliarity blinding us to the marvellous, life-affirming phenomena of our world. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In his typically engaging style, Will Gompertz takes us into the minds of artists – from emerging stars to old masters – to show us how to look at and experience the world with their heightened powers of perception.

In See What You’re Missing we learn, for example, how Rembrandt can help us see ourselves, how David Hockney helps us to see nature, and how Frida Kahlo can help us see through pain. Each artist has their own unique way of looking, which when applied to our own lives stimulates our senses so we might know the intoxicating feeling of being truly alive.

‘Art can amaze us into changing our minds. This remarkable book teaches us how’ Es Devlin

‘Highly engaging and thought-provoking’ Philip Hook, author of Breakfast at Sotheby’s

‘Lucid and revealing’ Michael Prodger, The Times

‘Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had’ Guardian

Publisher Review

Gompertz insightfully explores the processes and personalities of a remarkable roster of artists . . . effortless prose and laser focus on the communicative potential of art make this a worthwhile read -- James Woods Marshall * Library Journal * Thorough and diverse . . . Gompertz's illuminations of artists' lives and minds are accessible and full of valuable information. This is an exhilarating resource for personal growth, a consciousness-raising exploration for artists and art lovers, and an asset for anyone interested in the who, what, and why of great artworks * Booklist * Gompertz doesn't have it in him to be boring * The Times * He is a natural communicator whose passion for art is expressed with wit and verve -- Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had * Guardian * Hugely accessible . . . writes about difficult things without letting on that they are difficult * Independent on Sunday on What Are You Looking At? * The Shock of the New redone a la Bill Bryson . . . richly detailed and highly entertaining * Daily Telegraph on What Are You Looking At? * Lively, fresh, energetic . . . He explains movements and "isms" with clarity and humour * Scotsman on What Are You Looking At? *