How Painting Happens (and why it matters)

Martin Gayford's book offers an encyclopedic journey through art history, drawing on decades of conversations with practising artists. It explores the inspiration, execution, and meaning of painting, and features contributions from over 50 artists. The book is a testament to the enduring power of painting to move the soul and create new worlds.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2024
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

‘This is as clear a piece of writing about the experience of looking at a great painting as I have ever read ... Gayford seems to have seen everything and thought deeply about all of it Andrew Marr, New Statesman Martin Gayford,long-serving critic and art historian,is a trusted insider and a favoured guest of the most celebrated talents in the UK and beyond. If anyone knows what makes them tick,it ought to be this latter-day Vasari ... Stimulating and sumptuously illustrated Financial Times From El Greco to Picasso,Martin Gayfords How Painting Happens offers us an encyclopedic journey through art history Daily Telegraph ‘A remarkable painting can move the soul. So how does it come about? Martin Gayford brilliantly marks out the path from inspiration to execution The Irish Times Drawing on decades of conversations with practising artists,Martin Gayford offers intimate insight into the practice,meaning and potential of painting. Painting is an almost inconceivably ancient activity that remains vigorously alive in the twenty-first century. Every successful painting creates a new world,which we inhabit for as long as we care to look at it. Paintings can incorporate profound ideas and paradoxes that can be grasped without words. For those who dedicate themselves to it,the art of painting can become an all-consuming,lifelong obsession. It is a subject on which painters themselves are often the most incisive commentators. Martin Gayfords riveting and richly illustrated book deftly brings together numerous artists voices,past and present. It draws on a trove of conversations conducted over more than three decades with artists including Frank Auerbach,Gillian Ayres,Frank Bowling,Cecily Brown,Peter Doig,Lucian Freud,Katharina Frits.
Martin Gayford, a seasoned critic and art historian, is a well-respected insider and a frequent visitor to the most famous artists in the UK and beyond. If anyone knows what makes them tick, it should be this modern-day Vasari... Stimulating and gorgeously illustrated Financial Times From El Greco to Picasso, Martin Gayford's How Painting Happens offers us an encyclopedic journey through art history Daily Telegraph A remarkable painting can move the soul. So how does it come about? Martin Gayford brilliantly outlines the path from inspiration to execution The Irish Times Drawing on decades of conversations with practicing artists, Martin Gayford offers intimate insight into the practice, meaning, and potential of painting. Painting is an almost inconceivably ancient activity that remains vigorously alive in the twenty-first century. Every successful painting creates a new world, which we inhabit for as long as we care to look at it. Paintings can incorporate profound ideas and paradoxes that can be grasped without words. For those who dedicate themselves to it, the art of painting can become an all-consuming, lifelong obsession. It is a subject on which painters themselves are often the most incisive commentators. Martin Gayford's riveting and richly illustrated book deftly brings together numerous artists' voices, past and present. It draws on a trove of conversations conducted over more than three decades with artists including Frank Auerbach, Gillian Ayres, Frank Bowling, Cecily Brown, Peter Doig, Lucian Freud, and Katharina Frits.

Weight: 1280g
Dimension: 246 x 186 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500027424