In the Shadow of the Art Work introduces Art-Based Learning, an educational methodology created by Jeroen Lutters, the Dutch art and culture analyst and educational designer. A way of learning from and through art, Art-Based Learning aims to upend not only art education but also traditional methods of teaching and thinking more broadly. Thinking through artworks, Lutters argues, can offer access to unconventional sources of knowledge and can open up new ways of thinking about art and daily life.

In the Shadow of the Art Work lays out the theoretical stakes of Lutters' educational method, but also provides a practical roadmap for teachers and artists interested in Art-Based Learning. Case studies discussed in the book include the work of Francis Bacon, Caravaggio, Henri Füseli, Ignaz Günther, Derek Jarman, Jim Jarmusch, Mathieu Kassovitz, Dino Pedriali, Sally Potter, Nicholas Ray and Thomas Vinterberg.

Jeroen Lutters is an art and culture analyst and educational designer. His most recent publications focus on art-based learning, for instance, Teaching Objects and Ema: Nude on a Staircase.