"* 'Full of valuable and provocative insights that go against the grain of many contemporary assumptions' Independent * 'An elegant book, arguing that the private use we make of works of art is an essential feature of the appreciation of art' The Times * 'John Armstrong's book will be welcomed by readers mystified by the jargon of art criticism... He gives us an illuminating lecture on a handful of paintings which deepened and refined my personal response no end. The man's an education' Time Out * 'Everyone who cares about art should read this elegant, intelligent and timely essay.' The Tablet"