When it comes to viewing art, living in the information age is not necessarily a benefit. So argues Michael Findlay in this book that encourages a new way of looking at art. Much of this thinking involves stripping away what we have been taught and instead trusting our own instincts, opinions, and reactions. Including reproductions of works by Mark Rothko, Paul Klee, Joan Miro , Jacob Lawrence, and other modern and contemporary masters, this book takes readers on a journey through modern art. Chapters such as "What Is a Work of Art?" "Can We Look and See at the Same Time?" and "Real Connoisseurs Are Not Snobs," not only give readers the confidence to form their own opinions, but also encourages them to make connections that spark curiosity, intellect, and imagination. "The most important thing for us to grasp," writes Findlay, "is that the essence of a great work of art is inert until it is seen. Our engagement with the work of art liberates its essence." After reading this book, even the most intimidated art viewer will enter a museum or gallery feeling more confident and leave it feeling enriched and inspired.

This is a complete, illustrated catalogue of the painting and sculpture of Pop Art pioneer Gerald Laing (1936-2011), who shot to fame in the 1960s with his large-scale, iconic paintings of film-stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Anna Karina, conveyed in styles and colours that aped the crude but powerful printing processes of mass advertising. In 1964 Laing moved to New York and transformed effortlessly from Pop artist to abstract minimalist, showing works in the seminal Primary Structures exhibition of 1966 and forming lasting friendships with leading lights of the US art world, such as Andy Warhol, Larry Poons, Roy Lichtenstein and Larry Bell. A self-imposed exile to a restored Scottish castle in 1969 removed him from the art world's centre, but allowed him the space to develop a more personal, sculptural vocabulary in which the hard edges of his abstraction gradually gave way to anthropomorphic form. This catalogue raisonne covers each distinct phase of Laing's career and includes a fully illustrated catalogue of his works alongside comprehensive related reference material: chronology, exhibition history and list of public collections. An introductory essay by Michael Findlay, a close friend of Laing, provides an overview of his artistic development while essays by gallerist Lyndsey Ingram, editor David Knight and Marco Livingstone, a leading authority on Pop Art, examine specific periods and aspects of Laing's practice.