A work of art criticism that contains advice, critical comment and inspiration to a student of the arts.

Taking the form of a protest against the official story of modernism, this text tells the story of the optical unconscious, an unruly, disruptive force that persistently haunted the field of modernism from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Formerly handed down under oath of secrecy, this clear, concise handbook discusses the fundamental principles of alchemy, directions for the formation of an inexpensive home laboratory, (including the necessary equipment) and step-by-step instructions for the work of the Lesser Circulation.

Takes the readers on a mystery tour spanning an arc from the mediaeval cosmogram and images of Christian mysticism, through the world of alchemy to the art of the Romantic era. This work features hieroglyphs of cabbalists, Rosicrucians and freemasons, which are shown to be linked with the scientific illustrations in the fields of medicine.

James Elkins offers a road map through the field of visual studies, describing its major concerns and its principal theoretical sources.

Demonstrates how Renaissance artists used mirrors and lenses to develop perspective and chiaroscuro challenging our view of how these two foundations of Western art were established.