The book brings together a set of works, selected by the artist and devised from the outset in small formats. Through a chronological sequence from the early 1970’s until today, we observe the sharpness and precision of Jeff Wall’s approach all the better here, with all of his passion for art history and broad knowledge of painting. Alternating points of view between a « wandering »  approach for the photo-text essay Landscape Manual of the early 1970’s, carefully composed subjects on lightboxes with Diagonal Composition (1993) and more intimate themes with Torso (1997) printed on paper.

An essay by French critic and historian Jean-François Chevrier along with an interview between Chevrier and the artist enlighten us on the multiple facets of this work.