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Description
What Artists SeeCondition: BRAND NEW ISBN: 9781923192379 Year: 2025 Publisher: Monash University Publishing Description: A luminous collection of essays on art, obsession and creativity from one of Australia's best critics Why do we revere the figure of the artist? Is the drive to create an innate human instinct or a form of compulsion? Is the provocateur more lauded than the realist? Why do artists do what they do, day after day, in a display of discipline and will?
Condition: BRAND NEWISBN: 9781923192379
Year: 2025
Publisher: Monash University Publishing
Description:
A luminous collection of essays on art, obsession and creativity from one of Australia's best critics
Why do we revere the figure of the artist? Is the drive to create an innate human instinct or a form of compulsion? Is the provocateur more lauded than the realist? Why do artists do what they do, day after day, in a display of discipline and will?
The twelve essays in this collection offer glimpses into the lives of some of Australia's best contemporary artists, exploring the impetus for creativity and the role of art in making meaning. Tied together by an enduring curiosity for how artists practice what motivates them, what confounds them and what compels them to keep creating these pieces span the islands of Carpentaria to suburban Perth, the streets of Malaysia to the deserts of the Northern Territory. What emerges is art as an act of wilful vision of alternative ways of seeing that illuminate the otherwise invisible.
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4.3 ★★★★★
Based on 1153 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 4
What did I just read
Format: Kindle
I’m not sure how to articulate my feelings about this book. It took me a bit to get into it, the story was interesting from the beginning but felt very slow paced to me. That changed about half way in. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that was not it! I did end up enjoying this. It was well written, funny, and shocking.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Meaningful, Enjoyable and Uplifting
Format: Paperback
I don’t read a lot of novels, but after hearing recommendation after recommendation, I finally picked up Theo of Golden—and it absolutely lived up to the hype. Alan Levi tells a story that is inspiring, wholesome, thoughtful, and genuinely fun to read. The characters felt real, the writing was engaging, and the story carried deeper themes about life, purpose, and relationships without ever feeling forced. I also know Alan through Young Life, which made reading the book even more special for me personally. If you’re looking for a meaningful novel that is both enjoyable and uplifting, I highly recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
a swim through literary magic
Format: Kindle
Reading this book reminds me of jumping into a pool of water and the way the water tickles your skin as you descend into it, then surrounds you and totally encompasses you in its liquid wonder.
There is so much here: beautiful metaphors that conjure up both visual images and the emotions that accompany it. Wonderful character development: presented with gentleness, respect and grace. An intricate plot that carries the reader along lightly and buoyantly, not calling attention to itself, but carrying through to the end. The book itself is a portrait of Theo, in keeping with the portrait style described within.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Savor Theo -A Heart & Soul Dish
*No spoilers in this review
I found this book to be an unexpected banquet for my soul. I don’t read fiction very often, but as I read Theo of Golden, I realized I am hungry for what this story offers. Based on its swift and growing popularity, I believe the world is hungry for the gift of Theo of Golden.
When speaking on his book, Mr. Levi shared a quote from David Brooks, “ To write a book about kindness does not make you kind. To read a book about kindness does not make you kind… but to buy a book about kindness, that makes you kind.” 😄
This humor & humility — a “don’t take yourself too seriously” a welcoming accessibility is in the author and this book.
I love this spirit in the story —so much so, if I could hug this book any tighter— it would be behind me. (borrowing generously from Groucho Marx )
I started to do research on Allen Levi - who wrote this gift. He chose well, hundreds of little choices, keeping him close to beauty, kindness, meaningful relationships and community. His choices of early morning devotionals and prayer and regular visits to schools and coffee houses, to write songs instead of watch tv, all feeding the character of the author. I believe you cannot share beyond where you have traveled. He has traveled to deep places. A definite Ode to Joy prior to offering Theo was to write about the last 365 days of his brother’s life they shared after a cancer diagnosis entered. His brother’s early exit from here and entrance into heaven, I believe, prepared the way for one of the greatest fiction writings of our day.
Allen Levi’s habits to avoid technology and be fully present with the people in his life bleeds beautifully onto the characters of Golden. The environment is one which doesn’t talk about technology or politics. Just people connections. He firsts introduces us, then beautifully befriends us to a better way and a place, accessible to us if we would choose to allow mindful relationships to develop. All this making the community of Golden a place to cherish. Ultimately I believe the gift is to see Golden could be grown in a hometown, a neighborhood, with all people… It’s a heart posture- a posture that Theo bestows on the town.
In my ideal world, the author would meet another great songwriter, poet, storyteller: Ray Hughes. Ray is another gift to humanity, in creativity, intelligence, and accessing heaven on earth through words. I believe there would be a powerful explosion of hope, humor and generosity in their meeting, subsequent friendship & collaboration. I’m dreaming here, and lifting a prayer to the heavens- it would be awesome!!
With a grateful heart, I highly recommend Theo of Golden.
Humbly submitted,
Dawn Holley
Author, 22 Keys To Joy for the easily distracted
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2026
★★★★★ 4
The end is only the beginning
Format: Kindle
Theo appears in a small fictional Georgia town named Golden. He’s a distinguished old man with a mysterious past. He’s a quiet observer; then he makes friends in a coffee house and there pursues a plan to personally gift every portrait drawing on the wall to the townsfolk simply pictured there.
As an artist, I appreciated the detailed descriptions of each face, and then the invited dialogue with each person behind those drawings. The characters Theo gets to know are varied and storied. Of even more value to me was Theo’s visit to the studio of the originator of all the portraits. Layers start getting unpeeled in this tale. I started to highlight phrases when the motivation for doing the work got uncovered between them.
There were times when I felt the main character was “too good” to be believable. I personally appreciated the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) references to Theo being a Christ figure. But remember that Jesus was the one who said “woe to you when all men speak well of you”. The Theo who is pictured in this book, and the reactions of most around him is maybe a little too syrupy? A friend who is in my book club felt herself being “manipulated” when reading this book. I ponder that. There was a plethora of reactions to Jesus too, but I don’t think any honest quester ever felt manipulated. He let them walk freely away.
For me the significance of each face was the key theme, and each face held sorrow. There are some beautiful lines in the book around this. The ambitions: true and false in the “art world” also the business world resonated also. The Pastor’s words during a funeral at the end were valuable. And the little girl’s imagination (prompted by Theo) of all the musical notes flying on their wings into the chandeliers so that they can sing again later was a wonderful metaphor. There are some excellent passages in this book if you remain in it. As one grandmother said in this tale: “Baby, they’s justice and they’s mercy. If you not sure what to do and you gotta choose one or the other, I say always go the mercy way. If you make a mistake, make it for mercy. Bad mercy don’t hurt nearly like bad justice and always remember, the eye of God can see.”
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Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2026