Lessons in Beauty explores the connections between art and education, and, more specifically, the links among the art of painting, the training of artists and the education of adults. From a historical point of view, five kinds of relationships are examined in this volume. In each case, one can speak of 'lessons in beauty', be it the transmission of moral messages through visual means, the professional training of painters, the aesthetic edification of the working class, the educational activities of museums or the attempts to indoctrinate adults in matters of art. Growing attention to these and similar topics can be explained by an increasing interest in the aesthetic element within contemporary postmodern society. In each essay, therefore, an association is made with present-day developments and ideas.

Volume editor: Franz Poggeler