Sensibility is not Impressed

186 mm x 130 mm
208 pages
JPY 1,800
ISBN 9784790717133
Pub date: July 2018

Why are children’s pictures good? How do you see a picture and how do you evaluate it?
How was the art critic Noi Sawaragi created, and how does he work and live?
He teaches how to look at pictures and how to criticize, and draw a life that is the root of criticism.

Reviews
“The author looks at the fundamentals of the act of criticism while unpacking the idea of ‘Sensibility is not impressed,’ which is also the title of the book.” ―The Economist Weekly

“This is a book that will change the way you look at art” ―Yomiuri Shimbun

“The artist will teach the aesthetic sense that Sawararagi has cultivated, including how to look at and critique pictures, while depicting the subtleties of life itself” ―VEGGY

Table of Contents
Introduction.
Sensibility is not impressed

I. How to see and appreciate a painting

Thought as a mass / Thinking in front of a painting / Not saying what I think / Children’s paintings / My first Western art / How to appreciate a painting in a museum 1/ Children’s paintings / My first experience of Western art / How to appreciate art museums 1: Walking speed / How to become an art critic/How to be an art critic / How to appreciate art museums 2: Be suspicious of sales pitches / How to appreciate art museums 3: Walk around in Tokyo/ How to appreciate art museums 3: Walking around in Tokyo / The mother tongue of art / Swallowing a painting in its entirety/ Swallowing a Painting Whole / Reuniting with Dali in England

II. How to Read and Write a Critique

How to choose books / How to read for writing 1: How to eat books / How to read for writing 2: How to read for a lifetime / How to read for a lifetime/ The art of reading for writing 2: The number of books you can read in your lifetime / The art of reading for writing 3: Books like planets / The key touch: Writing through dialogue / Cherish your handwriting: Hold your breath and polish / Criticism in Japanese / Writing horizontally in an exhibition catalogue /How to write on Twitter / How to deal with smartphones / Sleeping and writing / Library books and home

III. Memory and Life as the Root of Criticism

The house takes up residence in me / The roots of criticism / My upbringing in Chichibu / Manga that frightened me as a child /Manga that frightened me as a child / The rebellious spirit of Chichibu and Kyoto / Youthful Runaway and Guitar / From Anything Goes Music to Criticism / My college days when I learned to be a critic / Music that possesses you / The ultimate way to drink / How to choose a seat on an airplane / How to Choose a Seat on an Airplane / Parenting and Criticism / Becoming Aware of the World Outside the Room