The Secrets of Painting

Stupendous … An epic of what humanity is capable of, written at the exact moment when we’ve already assumed machines can or will, do everything better … a wonderful gift to the world of art lovers * Simon Schama *
Not only one of the best books you’ll read on the history of art, but a fascinating history of mankind. Captivating, original and enlightening * Sathnam Sanghera *
A painter charts a dazzling path through the story of his art. You can touch the canvases and feel the brush strokes. A brilliant achievement * James Naughtie *
As both an exceptional artist and a brilliant writer, Lachlan Goudie is able to explain from an entirely new perspective how some of our greatest paintings have been made, and what they’re all about * Bendor Grosvenor *
Across Goudie’s 20 chapters - each one bringing an artist’s studio and practice to life through the lens of a practitioner - a concise history of art unravels that doesn’t just document the evolution of painting, but the course of human creativity * Christie’s Magazine *
Over the past thirty years of making arts films for cinema and TV, I have read hundreds of art books. Secrets of Painting is unquestionably one of the very best. I was educated and entertained on every page. It is, indeed, a work of great art for anyone from beginner to expert. 10⁄10 * Phil Grabsky, BAFTA award-winning producer, director and author *
A good read. Accessible without being simplified, serious without being airless … a substantial, well-designed, well-produced book that works both as a sustained argument and as a reference * Artlyst *
An eagerly awaited tome from one of the titans of Scottish art * Scottish Field *
It all makes for an engrossing journey - doubly so when you start to realise how much the course of art history has been determined and shaped by technologies … a fascinating and eye-opening journey through the history of markmaking and the technologies which have shaped its development and allowed its advance. Where next? Who knows * The Herald *
The subtitle, the hidden art of the masterpiece from prehistory to today, offers a broad sweep and takes in everything from cave paintings to artificial intelligence. To cover everything in between in any kind of depth and without running to an encyclopaedic collection of volumes is an immense task and Goudie proves himself well up to it * Art Book Review *

Lachlan Goudie is a Scottish painter and arts broadcaster. He has presented many BBC TV programmes including ‘Mackintosh: Glasgow’s Neglected Genius’, ‘Painting the Holy Land’ and ‘The Story of Scottish Art’. He is the author of The Story of Scottish Art, published by Thames & Hudson in 2022.

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