Art as Therapy

About the book

Two authorities on popular culture reveal the ways in which art can enhance mood and enrich lives - now available in paperback This passionate, thought-provoking, often funny, and always-accessible book proposes a new way of looking at art, suggesting that it can be useful, relevant, and therapeutic. Through practical examples, the world-renowned authors argue that certain great works of art have clues as to how to manage the tensions and confusions of modern life. Chapters on love, nature, money, and politics show how art can help with many common difficulties, from forging good relationships to coming to terms with mortality.

Reviews

"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 "Asking the questions that always swirl through your mind when striding around Tate Modern [...] Art as Therapy [...] massages the mind in all the right places."—Vanity Fair on Art "...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 "A cultural cure for what ails you."—Elle

Quotes

"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 "Asking the questions that always swirl through your mind when striding around Tate Modern [...] Art as Therapy [...] massages the mind in all the right places."-Vanity Fair on Art "...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 "A cultural cure for what ails you."-Elle

John Armstrong Biography

John Armstrong was until recently Philosopher in Residence at the Melbourne Business School and is Senior Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor of Melbourne University. He is the author of several internationally acclaimed books on art, aesthetics and philosophy, the latest of which, In Search of Civilization, was published in 2009. The School of Life is a London-based enterprise that is dedicated to the most useful ideas relevant to the dilemmas of everyday life. We consider questions like: How can we fulfil our potential? Can work be inspiring? Why does community matter? Can relationships last a lifetime? We don't have all the answers, but we will direct you towards a variety of useful ideas - from philosophy to literature, psychology to the visual arts - that are guaranteed to stimulate, provoke, nourish and console. ... Read full biography