Alain de Botton & John Armstrong's New Book For Phaidon Considers Art As Therapy
Renowned philosopher and best-selling author Alain de Botton the tackles the often-ignored question, ‘what is art for?’ Now in paperback, this is the integral pocket-sized guide on how best to engage with art.
Not to be confused with ‘art therapy’, in this lively book Alain de Botton and co-author, art historian John Armstrong, encourage us to look to art for guidance on living better lives. Now in a smaller, sleek paperback, de Botton and Armstrong’s classic text argue that we need to approach art armed with the question, ‘how can this cater to my inner needs?’
Putting forward the radical proposition that the true purpose of art is to teach us how to become better lovers, citizens and friends, Art As Therapy features chapters on Love, Nature, Money and Politics, and introduces a unique methodology for assessing art through their ‘Seven Functions of Art’ approach. Each offers new places to find answers to difficult questions such as: What can I do about the difficulties in my relationships? Why is my work not more satisfying? Just why is politics so depressing?
At the heart of Art As Therapy is de Botton and Armstrong’s appeal for a more practical, ‘people friendly’ vision of art. The authors begin by outlining their methodology including the tools we can use to help us become better versions of ourselves, and how art appreciation can help us along the way. Taken together the seven functions describe how we can develop a deeper understanding of art - and of ourselves - in equal measure.
With examples that range from Picasso to Michaelangelo and from Cindy Sherman to Francis Bacon, Art As Therapy features 150 outstanding works of art, architecture and design, and demonstrates how they can help us with everyday difficulties, from forging good relationships to finding happiness and coming to terms with mortality.
Art As Therapy by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong, paperback edition is published by Phaidon on 24 October 2016
Paperback £10.95 | 150 colour illustrations | 240 pages | 198 x 131 mm ISBN: 978 0 7148 7278 0
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MAIN IMAGE: Jessica Todd Harper, The Agony in the Kitchen, 2012, photographic print, private collection. Picture credit: © Jessica Todd Harper (page 73)
