Distinguished critic at The New Yorker since 1998, Peter Schjeldahl has been described as America's most influential writer on art. Blessed with an unerring eye, he tackles a myriad of subjects with wit, poetry, and perspicacity, examining and questioning the art before him while reveling in the power and beauty of language. His writing springs from a desire to be understood by all readers, and a determination to help them engage with art of every kind. Covering subjects drawn from a broad canvas of the history of art#xE2;#xAC;#x1D;from ancient Greece, Mexico, and Byzantium, through Raphael, Rubens, and Rembrandt, to Bruce Nauman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and John Currin#xE2;#xAC;#x1D;the writings collected here seek out with precision and economy the essence of the individual artist or work under discussion, but they never lose sight of the bigger picture: What is beauty? What does it mean to be an American artist? What can the art we produce and admire tell us about ourselves? With an imaginative introduction#xE2;#xAC;#x1D;twenty questions, each one posed to Schjeldahl by a different artist or writer#xE2;#xAC;#x1D;this collection will appeal to anyone who considers the experience of art, and of writing on art, an invitation to a voyage. Coverage includes: #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; large-scale exhibitions at leading institutions around the world #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; shows at private galleries #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; profiles of prominent members of the art world #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; personal accounts of time spent with artists #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; the influences of museum spaces on our experience of art.