Why The Simplest Solution to Life’s Problems Might Be Right One
Applying a philosophical principle known as Ockham’s Razor to solve life’s problems
Published on Oct 31·3 min read
Making Sure Life Gets Better With Age
As middle-age beckons, how do we stay vital and interesting?
Published on Oct 31·5 min read
Can Science Teach Us Right and Wrong?
Science improves well-being, but can it also instruct us how to behave?
Published on Oct 30·9 min read
Beautiful Vistas: Landscapes by Lord Frederic Leighton
Remarkable oil paint vignettes by the Victorian painter
Published on Oct 29·5 min read
Claps Are Gone. Medium Partner Program Has Changed
New habits of stats-checking will surely follow
Published on Oct 29·4 min read
How Art Inspires
Five great paintings and why they changed my life
Published on Oct 26·7 min read
How to Read Art: St Jerome in a Rocky Landscape by Joachim Patenier
An early landscape painting that brilliantly weaves tradition and imagination
Published on Oct 25·4 min read
Should Museums Return Artifacts To Their Original Countries?
The repatriation of ancient objects is highly-charged and complex
Published on Oct 24·7 min read
How Digital Changes the Nature of Original Art
The strange relationship between museum objects and the digital copies we make of them
Published on Oct 22·5 min read
How To Know If You’re On The Right Path
The subtle art of walking through the right doors
Published on Oct 20·3 min read
Autumnal Tree: Painting The Colors of the Fall
Watercolor painting of a tree with its late summer plummage
Published on Oct 19·4 min read
A Writer’s Paradise: In Search Of Lawrence Durrell In Corfu
Looking for the writer’s home on the ancient Greek island
Published on Oct 18·7 min read
Social Media And The Distorting Of Time
How social media interlaces past and future in an endless knot
Published on Oct 17·4 min read
Great Paintings: Claude Lorrain’s Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba
An imaginary voyage as the dawn sun rises over a classical landscape
Published on Oct 16·4 min read
Kobo, Kindle, Nook? Why Such Odd Names?
eReaders and their names: a short survey
Published on Oct 14·4 min read
Why We Need Art More Than Ever
In these troubled times, art is one of the best ways of making sense of the world
Published on Oct 14·3 min read
Great Paintings: The Avenue, Middelharnis By Hobbema
An enigmatic painting made brilliant by light and composition
Published on Oct 11·5 min read
Painting A Japanese Maple In Watercolor
A practical guide to painting a tree with beautiful red foliage
Published on Oct 9·4 min read
Algorithms Are A Long Way From Making Great Art
Could artificial intelligence ever have passion, originality, sophistication?
Published on Oct 9·5 min read
Debunking the Myths of Success And Destiny
How life is always in a state of unfolding
Published on Oct 8·4 min read
Does Art Need Explaining?
If art has no fixed meaning, then the audience can sometimes lost
Published on Oct 7·5 min read
Great Artworks: Saint Francis in Meditation by Francisco de Zurburán
A gripping image that describes a model of meditative worship
Published on Oct 4·4 min read
How To Paint A Tree In Watercolors
Another step-by-step guide to painting trees
Published on Oct 3·3 min read·In The Startup
Art and Surveillance
Artistic stories of data capture and evasion, and the struggle between hiding and seeking
Published on Oct 1·7 min read
Looking For Van Gogh’s Home
In search of the Yellow House in Arles
Published on Sep 30·6 min read
A Case For Living Like a Writer
The writer-ideal is an illusion. It’s time to find your own validation.
Published on Sep 29·4 min read
There’s No Shame In Shaking Hands
Some people are huggers and some are not
Published on Sep 27·5 min read
The Lure of Wittgenstein
Why the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein remains such as strong influence on me
Published on Sep 26·7 min read
The Honest Art of Luchita Hurtado
“This is a landscape, this is the world, this is all you have.”
Published on Sep 26·6 min read
How To Lead Your Own Life
Try solitude
Published on Sep 23·4 min read
How To Paint A Tree
Laden your brush with paint and commit it to paper
Published on Sep 20·5 min read
It Took Me 8 Years To Quit My Job
Waiting for the right moment is key to freelancing longevity
Published on Sep 19·8 min read·In The Startup
The Eloquent Art of Vilhelm Hammershøi
A Danish painter of poignant melancholy interiors
Published on Sep 18·4 min read
Why Looking At Paintings Cures Me Every Time
When the world confuses, paintings reassure
Published on Sep 17·5 min read
Beautiful Landscapes By Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Remarkable paintings from a single year by the French landscape painter
Published on Sep 16·4 min read·Unpublished changes
Lessons From A Special Teacher
Recollections that still inspire
Published on Sep 13·3 min read
Great Paintings: Combing the Hair by Edgar Degas
Unexpected, entertaining and truthful
Published on Sep 12·4 min read
Great Works of Art: The Seilern Triptych by Robert Campin
Three-part masterpiece that illustrates the narrative of the Passion of Christ
Published on Sep 11·4 min read
Great Paintings: Evening Over Potsdam by Lotte Laserstein
A melancholy masterpiece by a little-known female artist of Weimar Germany
Published on Sep 10·5 min read
The Symbolism of Walls
Walls are boundaries, but not all walls forbid. The walls of a cathedral, synagogue or mosque are meaningfully permeable. We are invited to…
Published on Sep 7·6 min read
People-Pleasing Isn’t Always Bad
The choice is not between winning and losing
Published on Sep 6·5 min read
Writer: How To Know If You’re Oversharing
Thoughts on staying in control of your online revelations
Published on Sep 5·4 min read
Great Artists: Paul Cézanne
A painter of subtle landscapes who influenced a generation
Published on Sep 3·7 min read
Art Gallery Selfies
Ban them or celebrate them?
Published on Sep 2·5 min read
A Timely Lesson From A Classic Movie
The destructive force of certainty and the power of ambivalence
Published on Aug 31·3 min read
What To Make of Jeff Koons?
Neo-pop pioneer or charletan of the art market?
Published on Aug 30·6 min read
Great Paintings: Caravaggio’s ‘The Supper at Emmaus’
A vividly realistic painting of psychological transformation
Published on Aug 29·5 min read
Writing Advice From A Slow-Burning Career
For those in it for the long-haul…
Published on Aug 28·5 min read
Great Paintings: ‘Winter Landscape’ by Caspar David Friedrich
An evocative landscape laden with symbolic mystery
Published on Aug 28·5 min read
Serendipity Can Help You Be More Creative
The art and power of the deliberate accident
Published on Aug 27·6 min read·In The Startup
Modern Art & Japanese Woodcut Prints
From Manet to Van Gogh, the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e prints on European art
Published on Aug 25·5 min read
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
The pleasure of reading an artist’s correspondence
Published on Aug 22·3 min read
Lee Krasner: Not Just Another Abstract-Expressionist
A daring abstract painter who was far more than “Mrs Pollock”
Published on Aug 21·7 min read
Great Paintings: The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David
A political work of art that draws on the values of classical antiquity
Published on Aug 20·6 min read
How Medium Changed My Writing Life
For good and for bad (though mainly good)
Published on Aug 19·7 min read
Great Paintings: A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet
A compelling work of art that continues to yield new readings
Published on Aug 17·5 min read
Symbols In Art: Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun
Different artistic representations of the Greek legend
Published on Aug 15·7 min read
Tales From A Puzzling Life
Glimmers of hope and despair from youth to adult
Published on Aug 14·4 min read·In The Startup
Symbols In Art: Mirrors & Reflections
From ancient tales to modern art, mirrors capture complex truths
Published on Aug 13·6 min read
Controlling Your Life Is Not Easy
But thinking about life in 360 degrees can help
Published on Aug 12·4 min read
Symbols in Art: The Annunciation
Compare how different artists have treated this biblical subject
Published on Aug 9·6 min read
Does Happiness Have To Be Real?
What a thought experiment can tell us about expectations of happiness
Published on Aug 8·4 min read
How To Visit Art Galleries
Tips on how to get the most from your visit
Published on Aug 7·6 min read
Learning A Musical Instrument Will Make You Happier
Why learning to play is a most reliable source of pleasure
Published on Aug 6·5 min read
Why I Love Cities (But Won’t Live In One)
The pleasures and distractions of exploring cityscapes
Published on Aug 5·3 min read
The Enigma and Beauty of Negative Spaces
The power of a negative space is in its capacity to disrupt your normal expectations of reality
Published on Aug 5·7 min read
Art Appreciation & Books
Looking at art is first and foremost about making personal connections, no matter where you are
Published on Aug 4·4 min read
The Art of Winifred Nicholson
Artist who explored the quieter secrets of the cosmos
Published on Aug 2·4 min read
Paul Klee & Late-Life Productivity
The artist’s story of innovation and constant growth
Published on Aug 1·5 min read
I couldn’t agree more.
Published on Aug 1·1 min read
The Impressionists: Art and Liberty
The intricate relationship between personal and creative freedom
Published on Jul 30·7 min read
Great Works of Art: The Laocoön
The story goes like this: Helen was the wife of a Greek king. Her great beauty claimed the attention of a foreign prince, Paris, who came…
Published on Jul 29·5 min read
How To Read Paintings: Portrait of Sylvia Von Harden by Otto Dix
A startling portrait that delves into the mindset of an entire epoch
Published on Jul 25·4 min read
Find Yourself, But Don’t Lose Others In The Process
Your own private journey could be leaving others behind
Published on Jul 21·2 min read
On Not Being Sure
The value of not always knowing
Published on Jul 19·3 min read
Thanks Shannon.
So my advice would be:
Published on Jul 19·1 min read
Can You Be Creative and Poor?
As an artist, I have a strange relationship with money
Published on Jul 18·6 min read
Learn Composition: Contrast and Silhouette
A case study in how artist Félix Vallotton used shape and contrast to build up successful picture compositions
Published on Jul 17·7 min read·Unpublished changes
Let Art Restore Your Faith In Humanity
Art captures universal truths that remind us we are all in the same human predicament
Published on Jul 16·5 min read
Thank you Raphael. Very elegantly put.
Published on Jul 12·1 min read
Keep Me Out of the Exhibition
A poem for art/lovers
Published on Jul 12·1 min read
Great Works of Art: Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’
A disruptive work of modern art that continues to inspire
Published on Jul 11·5 min read
Van Gogh’s Early Years
The travels and influences of the young Vincent
Published on Jul 10·9 min read·In Storius Magazine
Paul Klee’s Tunisia Trip
The travels of an artist discovering himself
Published on Jul 4·7 min read
My Six-Week Sabbatical
Taking time to re-align my life was one of the best decisions I’ve made in years
Published on Jul 1·6 min read·In The Startup
Architectural Basics: The Roman Arch
The principles of the arch, vault and groin
Published on Jun 28·4 min read
The Pleasures Of Art
Recollecting the kicks and comforts of twenty years of looking at art
Published on Jun 25·5 min read
Could Writers Receive A Regular Salary?
One writer’s quest to change the way authors are paid
Published on Jun 24·5 min read·In The Startup
What Was Cubism?
The emergence of one of the most influential movements in modern art
Published on Jun 20·8 min read
Conflicts of the Creative Life
Contrary demands of work, time and creativity
Published on Jun 17·4 min read·In The Startup
Identity Art: Cindy Sherman, Sherrie Levine and Sophie Calle
Art that probes the conventions of authorship and self-identity
Published on Jun 13·5 min read·In Thinksheet
Hi Roberta,
Thanks for the response. I was especially happy to read it because it goes against the grain of current ‘acceptable’ thought about Michael…
Published on Jun 11·1 min read
Great Buildings: The Mosque of Córdoba
When a building moves us emotionally
Published on Jun 11·5 min read
How To Read Paintings: Monet’s Water Lilies
Amorphous and puzzling paintings that gain meaning in the looking
Published on Jun 9·5 min read
The Wedded Rocks of Japan
A Japanese work of art that distills a deeper philosophy
Published on Jun 4·4 min read
Words Of Encouragement
A message to anyone looking for direction
Published on May 30·4 min read
Every Picture Tells A Story… But Whose?
The FSA photographs of the Great Depression
Published on May 28·6 min read
How To Read Paintings: Thomas Cole’s Oxbow
Environmental warnings from a classic work of art
Published on May 26·5 min read
Hi Brian, that’s an interesting response.
For me, I have learnt most about art when the ‘expert’ encourages me to look more closely. For this reason, I like to write about art with…
Published on May 23·1 min read
How To Read Paintings: Caravaggio’s Bacchus
A Baroque masterpiece about decadence and decay
Published on May 21·4 min read
The Changing Status of Feminist Art History
How art history has grappled with the changing concerns of identity
Published on May 19·9 min read
Online reading environments need better design
Or how Medium has got it more or less right
Published on May 16·5 min read·In UX Collective
The Art of Christian Schad
A Realist Artist of the Weimar Republic
Published on May 15·9 min read
Stop Worrying About Other People’s Success
Why success is in how we define ourselves
Published on May 12·4 min read·In The Startup
Patience is the Unsung Hero of Creativity
The underrated power of taking your time
Published on May 10·5 min read
A Beginner’s Guide to Art History
How do art movements fit together, and is there more than one story?
Published on May 9·8 min read
Art That Takes Its Time
Let the bigger things in life take over for a moment or two
Published on May 7·5 min read
Creative Block? No Brooding! Work!
Sometimes perseverance is the only way to overcome self-doubt
Published on May 6·4 min read
The Art of Édouard Manet
A Parisian artist and forefather of the Impressionists
Published on May 2·7 min read
Co-Working Spaces and Their Benefits
How shared work spaces can bring out the best in people
Published on Apr 26·6 min read
What Artists Talk About When They Talk About Their Art
And why it’s hard to say anything truly meaningful
Published on Apr 24·6 min read
How To Read Paintings: Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin
An artwork of high drama and beauty
Published on Apr 18·5 min read
When Our Heroes Fall
On Michael Jackson and narratives of condemnation
Published on Apr 16·6 min read
Abstract Art Reconsidered
Pictures of things that don’t exist
Published on Apr 12·6 min read·In Dialogue & Discourse
Thanks Kesh.
When Raphael was in Florence, he would almost certainly have been aware of Michelangelo’s work, but he seems to have drawn far greater…
Published on Apr 9·1 min read
How Raphael Composed His Paintings
The impeccably beautiful techniques of a Renaissance master
Published on Apr 9·5 min read
Can Art Clean Up Dirty Money?
Protests at the Guggenheim are changing the landscape of arts patronage
Published on Apr 6·6 min read
Walking Can Save You
Peace, rhythm, solitude and reflection
Published on Apr 3·3 min read
How To Look At Contemporary Art
Open your mind to the wonderful world of 21st century art
Published on Mar 28·8 min read
Should Authors Receive A Regular Salary?
The story of a writer’s bold and revolutionary request
Published on Mar 26·5 min read·In The Writing Cooperative
Embarrassed Yet?
Naked truths about life drawing classes
Published on Mar 26·4 min read
Finding Your Authentic Self
Is your authentic self something you are born with or is it something that you create yourself?
Published on Mar 17·5 min read
The Netflix Effect
Why I sometimes miss the TV schedule
Published on Mar 12·5 min read
The Brilliant And Tragic Life Of Yves Klein
The extraordinary artist who combined the spiritual with the avant-garde in a tragically short life
Published on Mar 5·8 min read
The Power Of Existentialism
Mental well-being reconsidered
Published on Mar 1·6 min read
My Writing Career And Medium
Thoughts about writing as a career and using Medium to get there
Published on Feb 24·6 min read·In The Writing Cooperative
The Mystery Of Symbols In Art
Decoding the obscure language of iconography
Published on Feb 21·10 min read
Reflections On Leonard Cohen
A personal tribute to man of elegance and insight
Published on Feb 14·7 min read
Book Review: “Kudos” by Rachel Cusk
Book review of the third instalment in Rachel Cusk’s elegant and beguiling trilogy
Published on Jan 30·5 min read
Hi Thuận. You ask about Alan Watts?
Published on Jan 25·1 min read
Hi Tim, I’m really glad you liked the article — really nice to hear feedback like this.
Published on Jan 25·1 min read
Does It Matter If Artists Use Teams Of Makers To Make Their Art?
Why is it controversial for famous artists to employ others to make their work?
Published on Jan 24·5 min read
Thank you Francesca.
Published on Jan 22·1 min read
Shyness Didn’t Stop Me Joining A Band
…nor leaving it for something that suited me better.
Published on Jan 22·7 min read
Will Touchscreen Gestures Change The Way We Communicate?
How will the swipe, the slide, the tap and the pinch enter our wider forms of communication?
Published on Jan 21·5 min read
Ways Into Buddhism
The difficulties of a westerner’s journey into the Buddhist Faith
Published on Jan 14·6 min read
Who Can Represent You?
When others speak on behalf of your history and heritage
Published on Jan 7·9 min read
How To Read Paintings: Bellini’s San Zaccaria Altarpiece
The decoding of a Venetian masterpiece
Published on Jan 2·7 min read
Writers, Artists And Stereotypes
Why clichés about creativity are hard to dislodge
Published on Dec 24, 2018·5 min read
My 8-Year Wait To Leave My Job
…when I really wanted to be an artist.
Published on Dec 18, 2018·8 min read
Picasso, Primitivism, And The Rights And Wrongs Of Cultural Appropriation
When artists borrow, do they also offend?
Published on Dec 17, 2018·7 min read
Will I Ever Be Real?
My psychology is contorted by strange concepts of time and expectation. But there is hope.
Published on Dec 12, 2018·10 min read
Social Media and the Digital Gaze
The balances of power are constantly shifting as we watch ourselves being watched
Published on Nov 28, 2018·10 min read
Dazzle Areas: The Art Of David Milne
The Canadian artist David Milne was born in 1882. By all accounts he was a modest man with a leaning towards the austere. Raised in a log…
Published on Nov 24, 2018·4 min read
How Should We Travel?
When cultures clash and how to think about it
Published on Nov 17, 2018·8 min read
How to Look at Paintings
Slow down, have a seat, and stay away from the information plaques
Published on Nov 13, 2018·5 min read
Visiting Hydra: Leonard Cohen & Bohemian Idyll
A pilgrimage to the idyllic Greek island where the singer once lived and loved
Published on Nov 4, 2018·17 min read
The Reason Algorithms Will Never Make Great Art
This A.I. portrait just sold for $432,000 at Christie’s. Why is it so valuable?
Published on Oct 30, 2018·5 min read
On ‘The Waste Land’ by T.S. Eliot
The story of one of the most influential poems ever written in English
Published on Oct 29, 2018·4 min read
In Defense Of The People-Pleaser
People-pleasing is not always a sign of trying too hard
Published on Oct 25, 2018·6 min read
Nerds Become The Most Eligible Bachelors
Misjudged throughout their schooldays, nerds emerge like butterflies to take the best prizes
Published on Oct 22, 2018·4 min read
Performing Lights: The Art of Atsuko Tanaka
A pioneering Japanese artist, Atsuko Tanaka is little-known in the West, but she deserves more attention.
Published on Oct 16, 2018·3 min read
My Smartphone Won’t Conquer Me
My smartphone is better at running my life than I am, but I won’t let it take over.
Published on Oct 12, 2018·6 min read
Let Women Roam
Urban landscapes are prohibiting women’s freedom. How about a 9pm curfew on men?
Published on Oct 9, 2018·4 min read
Brexit, Passports and Modern Ideas of Identity
Before World War I, the status of the passport was fluid. After Brexit, it will be crucial to our ideas of national identity.
Published on Oct 4, 2018·4 min read
How I learnt to find my voice
How a teacher helped me find my voice by allowing me to be silent
Published on Oct 2, 2018·5 min read
Why go to the beach?
From Venice Beach to the Mediterranean coast, the beach is more crowded than ever. Why is it so popular?
Published on Oct 1, 2018·5 min read
How Credible is Self-Publishing?
A self-published French novel has been shortlisted for a major literary prize, which is making me think twice about self-publishing.
Published on Sep 18, 2018·5 min read
Lessons to learn at 40
How do we stay vital and interesting once we hit 40?
Published on Sep 10, 2018·5 min read
Art Eternally Made, Here and Now
In art, what you can represent depends on your perspective, and perspectives are liable to change.
Published on Aug 22, 2018·6 min read
To Serif or to Sans-Serif?
Should our words come adorned or just naked?
Published on Aug 16, 2018·2 min read
Thank you Mary.
Published on Aug 10, 2018·1 min read
A Weimar Woman & Artist: Lotte Laserstein
As an independent female artist in Germany during the 1920s.
Published on Aug 10, 2018·6 min read
Memory’s Work: The Art of Toba Khedoori
The appeal of Toba Khedoori’s work lies, perhaps, in the enigmatic precision with which her images are made. It lends them the virtue of…
Published on Aug 3, 2018·3 min read
Discover the Nostalgic Art of Mark Dion
Invocations of Victorian adventurers, amateur explorers, cabinets of curiosities and detective stories. For our modern age, there is…
Published on Jul 28, 2018·5 min read
Popular Trivia Is Often Wrong
Maybe the real facts are those we find along the way
Published on Jul 23, 2018·5 min read
Andreas Gursky: Photographer of Strangeness
Why Andreas Gursky’s photographs go beyond the ordinary in to the absurd. By Christopher P Jones
Published on Jul 18, 2018·4 min read
Review of “So Long, See You Tomorrow” by William Maxwell
chrisjoneswrites.co.uk
Published on Jul 9, 2018·4 min read