Happiness

Happiness, Christophe André, Rider, £16.99 ISBN: 978-1-84606-505-9

THIS is an inspired and inspiring look at a topic that has dominated the lives of philosophers, scientists and – as revealed here – artists since time immemorial.
Happiness and its shadow, sadness, are presented in their many forms as the author, a psychiatrist, looks at 25 works of art and explains what each displays about a happy and fulfilled life.
Known for his previous work Mindfulness, called the No1 introduction to meditation in France, the author has again given readers something to be treasured. It offers a new look at beloved artworks and offers a guide to improving temperament and developing positivity – the founding stones of happiness.
Taking in works by Van Gogh, Monet, Chagall, Gauguin and a Louvre’s worth of others we discover an exercise in self-reflection that constantly delights. Take his words while examining Bruegel’s Return of the Herd, “Even if the absence of happiness makes us more fragile and worried, let’s not turn our problems into misery.” Even in the depths there can be light.