Bento's Sketchbook
Verso Books · Paperback · March 25, 2025
A deeply moving exploration of the relationship between thinking and drawing, from the author of the groundbreaking Ways of Seeing The seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza (a.k.a.
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- Who it’s for
- Berger lets drawing and thought meet in an imaginative conversation with Spinoza.
- Themes
- Drawing and thought, Spinoza’s life and times, Politics and storytelling
- Genres
- Art Criticism & Ideas, Ethics, Artists' Lives
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A deeply moving exploration of the relationship between thinking and drawing, from the author of the groundbreaking Ways of Seeing The seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza (a.k.a. Bento) spent the most intense years of his short life writing. He also carried with him a sketchbook. After his sudden death, his friends rescued letters, manuscripts, notes—but no drawings.
Continue reading
For years, without knowing what its pages might hold, John Berger has imagined finding Bento’s sketchbook, wanting to see the drawings alongside his surviving words. When one day a friend gave him a beautiful virgin sketchbook, Berger said, ‘This is Bento’s!’ and he began to draw, taking inspiration from the philosopher’s vision. In this beautifully illustrated book, Berger uses the imaginative space opened up in this experiment to explore politics, storytelling, Spinoza’s life and times, and the process of drawing itself.
Thought in Lines
Berger lets drawing and thought meet in an imaginative conversation with Spinoza.
Come here for
- A curious crossing of drawing, philosophy, and imagination
- Berger’s reflections on Spinoza’s vision
Expect
- Politics, storytelling, and drawing in conversation
- An illustrated exploration rather than a straight biography
Where it sits
| Art Criticism & Ideas | 62% |
|---|---|
| Ethics | 40% |
| Artists' Lives | 29% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Artists' Books
- Artist Essays
- Ethics
- Authors
- John Berger
- Publisher
- Verso Books
- Published
- March 25, 2025
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Drawing and thought · Spinoza’s life and times · Politics and storytelling
- Reading lane
- Artists' Books