An exploration of the modern public's alienation from contemporary art, by outspoken critic Julian Spalding. Spalding makes a powerful plea for the revival of communication, accessibility and traditional skills in the art field. In a forthright manner, Spalding examines the key ideas underpinning modern art and finds them wanting. He illustrates how artistic craft, learning, content and judgement have each been compromised by commercialism, cynicism and politics, and argues for the revival of an art whose ambition is to communicate, as profoundly and elegantly as it can, with everyone. The author's hope is that readers, when they close this book, will not only think "I knew I was right not to like modern art, and now I know why", but will also be enabled to look for the art of today that is of lasting quality.