Natural Light by Julian Bell review – the forgotten German artist who inspired Rembrandt and Rubens

This engrossing history explains why the extraordinary – and tiny – paintings of Adam Elsheimer, who died in poverty in 1610 aged only 32, were revolutionary

The Guardian view on older artists: bridging history and personal life

Editorial: Their new works may be their last, but the contribution of these maestros are still making is invaluable to our world view

Clock watching: meet the artist who thinks time is ruining our lives

‘Clock time’, all about productivity, money and economic growth, threatens to destroy us, says artist Jenny Odell. But there are other kinds of time, and we need to learn to embrace them

Jeremy Deller: ‘The world worries me – but for an artist, that’s a good thing’

The artist has been confounding the art world for 30 years. As he publishes Art Is Magic, a survey of his best known works, he talks about the experiences that shaped them

On my radar: Max Porter’s cultural highlights

The award-winning novelist on his favourite art bookshop, the DJ he would vote for as PM and why he collects Pez dispensers

Michel Houellebecq sex film to be released despite attempt to stop it

Amsterdam court dismisses French author’s complaint against film that shows him having sex with young women

A bit of me time: the best music, film, books and more about narcisissm

From Lily Allen’s withering takedown of self-obsessed fame to a ravaged painting in an attic, our critics pick culture about taking self-love too far

Ben Okri on swapping novels for painting: ‘Could these two great rivers of creativity merge?’

The Booker winner has teamed up with Scottish colourist Rosemary Clunie – to follow in the footsteps of word-and-picture masters Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jenny Holzer

‘A truly special spot’: arts insiders’ top tips for free cultural places in Britain

From Russell Tovey to Gemma Cairney, cultural figures pick their favourite hangouts – from Edinburgh to Aberystwyth – with no entry charge

‘In the stillness, my mind was able to wander’: how a museum guard found solace in art

After a tragedy, Patrick Bringley swapped his glitzy magazine job to work at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The experience was so profound, he wrote a book about it

On my radar: The Edge’s cultural highlights

The U2 guitarist on the scientific theory that connects us all, drawing on walls and the resurgence of Irish folk music

Boris Johnson recites Oompa-Loompas song in defence of Roald Dahl’s books

Ex-PM criticises sensitivity edit of author’s works – and also rejects sending Parthenon marbles to Greece

On my radar: Gabrielle Zevin’s cultural highlights

The American writer on her film of the moment, a fantastic young novelist and an animated series that’s wonderfully human

‘They save us’: Sally Muir on the art of drawing rescue dogs

Scruffy or sleek, melancholic or mischievous… Sally Muir’s portraits of dogs capture the essence of unconditional love. And her latest collection on rescue dogs reveals much about cruelty – and kindness

‘It’s the opposite of art’: why illustrators are furious about AI

AI art generators may provide five minutes of fun for most users, but the blurring of creative and ethical boundaries is leaving many artists raging against the machine