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Story: Criticism and the arts

How to look at a painting

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How to look at a painting

Justin Paton's award-winning 2005 guide How to look at a painting was soon hailed as a classic and inspired a popular television series. Such was ongoing demand for the book that it was reissued in 2012 with an expanded illustration section.

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by Keely O'Shannessy

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How to cite this page

Rebecca Rice and Mark Williams, Criticism and the arts – Critical approaches, 1980s onwards, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/42944/how-to-look-at-a-painting (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rebecca Rice and Mark Williams, published 2 October 2013.