Art as therapy /
Alain de Botton, John Armstrong.
- London : Phaidon Press Limited, 2013.
- 239 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 28 cm
Includes index.
Methodology. The seven functions of art ; What is the point of art? ; What counts as art? ; What kind of art should one make? ; How should art be bought and sold? ; How should we study art? ; How should art be displayed? -- Love. Can we get better at love? ; What is it like to be a good lover? ; Attention to detail ; Am I allowed to be turned on? ; How to make love last ; Courage for the journey -- Nature. Remembering nature ; The importance of the South ; Anticipating autumn ; The sense of what is beautiful ; The new artists of nature -- Money. Art as a guide to the reform of capitalism ; The problem of taste ; The role of the critic in the education of taste ; Towards and enlightened capitalism ; Enlightened investment ; Career advice from artists -- Politics. What should political art be aiming at? ; What is there to be proud of? ; Who should we try to become? ; A defence of censorship ; And now... to change the world.
Describes a new way of looking at familiar masterpieces, suggesting that the works of art can be useful, relevant--and even therapeutic.