Some art lessons can inspire. Others are useless or even harmful. Eli Levin has written an amusing recollection of his art-student years and subsequent development. We witness his struggles to overcome the clich s and bombast so prevalent in the art world from 1950 to 1990. From every lesson the author hopes to find something useful, even occasionally a moment of insight. In the form of an artist's memoir, this book concentrates on the difficult question "what can artists learn?" It is a close study of the crises and breakthroughs that make up the lifetime effort of one particular artist to develop his personal vision.