This column first appeared in CityView magazine’s September 2026 edition.

Art and culture—we all know what they are, but do we really understand how they are related?

In college, some of my friends were taking Art History courses, but I didn’t have enough time for that with all the science classes I took. Also, like a lot of young adults, I thought art history must be a bore. Little did I know I would end up owning a bookstore/art gallery. Now, I love reading about the intertwining of art and culture.

Culture has been described as an outline of how people in a particular group live, while art is a means of expressing the details of life within that outline. Art gives a society a way of communicating their culture, its history, beliefs, hopes, and goals. When we see art from various societies, we know right away where it is from. That is one reason we travel and bring home art and artifacts reflecting those cultures. Here are some books that will make those journeys even more fun and interesting.

1. What is Art? by Leo Tolstoy

Many people know that Tolstoy wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina, but did you know he wrote numerous essays, too? After years of research, Tolstoy penned this collection of essays critiquing his contemporaries’ works to help answer the question, What is Art? He concluded that art should be a force for good and the improvement of humanity. This is a great book for all lovers of art and even artists themselves.

2. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

When I worked as a nurse in a hospital, I saw how art and music therapy helped patients recover from illness. My daughter was an art therapist and worked for several years with children with developmental delays, helping them gain the confidence and skills to function better in their world.

In this amazing book, authors Magsamen and Ross present results of research that show how engaging in an art project reduces stress hormone levels, even if you don’t have any art skills. They show that completing at least one art project a month may even extend your life expectancy. Art, music, and dancing are all forms of entertainment, but they also contribute to our wellbeing.

3. All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley

Many of us have visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or other fantastic art museums. However, most have not had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at one of these great repositories. 

When Brinkley is faced with a family crisis, he quits his glamourous but stressful position at The New Yorker and takes a job as a gallery guard at The Met. This becomes his home away from home, and as he helps protect the enormous collection of treasures in the museum, he finds the inner peace he needs. 

In this book, you take this journey with him and go behind the scenes in one of the most famous museums in the world.

4. The Power of Art: A Human History of Art: From Babylon to New York City by Caroline Campbell

This book treats us to stories of mankind’s artistic endeavors over thousands of years. We learn about art from around the world—beginning with ancient Babylon—all the way to the present.

We experience the value of art to our culture and to each of us. Art history is not boring when we learn how the artists came to create the many wonders we now enjoy. Through this journey, Caroline Campbell shows us how art can teach us about the history of different civilizations and its amazing impact on each of us.

5. Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop by Martin Puchner

Author Puchner invites us to experience the convergence of art and culture. Through the ages, civilizations have attempted to leave a part of themselves for future generations. They used art, theater, architecture, and literature. This extended from Egypt and Greece, across the many continents, and even to the Moon. Puchner takes us on a memorable journey through the pivotal moments in world history to help us understand the meaning and purpose of our existence.

6. The Masterpiece: A Novel by Fiona Davis

A captivating piece of historical fiction is an excellent way to learn history. This novel, centered at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, is a great example of that. We think of Grand Central Terminal as a train station, but it is so much more—it is a crown jewel and a masterpiece of design. In this story, Clara Darden sees it as the beginning of her future. Darden is a teacher at the Grand Central School of Art in 1928, at a time when women, particularly “women artists,” are looked down upon. We hope for Darden to succeed, but the Great Depression stands in her way.

Fast forward to 1974, when newly divorced Virginia Clay obtains a job in the information booth at Grand Central Terminal to support herself and her daughter. The terminal has been in decline, and there is a lawsuit that may result in its demolition. While working there, Clay comes upon an abandoned art school in the terminal—Darden’s old school! While looking around, Clay discovers an enigmatic watercolor. She sets out to discover the artist and in the process, is drawn into the battle to save the terminal. Along the way, she solves the mystery of Clara Darden, who turns out to be a famed artist lost to history in 1931.

Diane Parfitt owns City Center Gallery & Books in downtown Fayetteville. She can be reached at citycentergallerybooks@gamil.com.