How to See: Looking, Talking, and Thinking about Art

How to See: Looking, Talking, and Thinking about Art

<p><strong>“If John Berger’s <em>Ways of Seeing</em> is a classic of art criticism, looking at the ‘what’ of art, then David Salle’s <em>How to See</em> is the artist’s reply, a brilliant series of reflections on how artists think when they make their work. The ‘how’ of art has perhaps never been better explored.” —Salman Rushdie</strong></p><br /><p>How does art <em>work</em>? How does it move us, inform us, challenge us? Internationally renowned painter David Salle’s incisive essay collection illuminates these questions by exploring the work of influential twentieth-century artists. Engaging with a wide range of Salle’s friends and contemporaries—from painters to conceptual artists such as Jeff Koons, John Baldessari, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alex Katz, among others—<em>How to See</em> explores not only the multilayered personalities of the artists themselves but also the distinctive character of their oeuvres.</p><br /><p>Salle writes with humor and verve, replacing the jargon of art theory with precise and evocative descriptions that help the reader develop a personal and intuitive engagement with art. The result: a master class on how to see with an artist’s eye.</p>