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Painting story
The Beguiling of Merlin by Edward Burne-Jones
The book is open, but its teacher cannot move. Look closely at Nimue, Merlin’s trapped body and the flowering hawthorn in Burne-Jones’s Arthurian…
Famous Paintings, Explained
The stories behind famous paintings, the painters who made them, and the movements that shaped them. Every work here can be recreated by hand in oil on canvas.
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Painting story
Morgan le Fay by Frederick Sandys
A gift becomes a weapon in Sandys’s Morgan le Fay. Follow her hands to the enchanted robe, then explore the owl, loom, fire and books in her…
Painting story
Medea by Frederick Sandys
Medea’s hand pours above a flame while her face turns away. Explore the gestures, coral, toads and gilded ship in Frederick Sandys’s intensely…
Painting story
The Great He-Goat by Francisco de Goya
A horned leader, a listening crowd and a woman at the edge: a close reading of Goya’s Great He-Goat, including the lost space that changed its…
Art guide
20 Famous Witch Paintings
Explore 20 famous witch paintings, from Waterhouse and Goya to Circe and Medea. Discover their stories, symbols and the meanings of magic in art.
Painting story
Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Read Picasso’s Guernica through its mother and child, horse, bull, competing lights and broken sword, with historical context and real detail crops.
Painting story
The Fire of Rome by Hubert Robert
The Fire of Rome (about 1771) by Hubert Robert shows the Great Fire of AD 64 seen through a huge dark arch, with temples, a bridge, an ancient…
Painting story
Paris Street; Rainy Day by Caillebotte
Explore Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day: the approaching couple, wet cobblestones, Place de Dublin and the carefully constructed modern city.
Painting story
Luncheon on the Grass by Manet
Why did Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass cause a scandal? Explore its nude, modern men, Renaissance sources and picnic details with real crops.
Painting story
Olympia by Édouard Manet
Explore Manet’s Olympia through its gaze, Laure, the bouquet and black cat. Read the Salon scandal, model identities and museum details.
Painting story
Sultan Mourad by Gérôme
A small pig outweighs a ruler seated on a mountain of skulls. Discover the Victor Hugo poem behind Gérôme’s Sultan Mourad and its unsettling…
Art guide
10 Famous Realism Paintings and the Stories Behind Them
Explore 10 famous Realism paintings by Courbet, Millet, Bonheur and more. Discover their stories, key details, artists and where the originals are…
Art guide
Gallery Wall Ideas
Gallery wall ideas that look curated, not crowded: grid and salon-style layouts, symmetry, one colour, above the sofa and up the stairs, plus how…
Painting story
Mephisto by Eduard von Grützner
A devil in red leans out of darkness and smiles. Explore how Eduard von Grützner turned Goethe's Mephisto into a theatrical portrait of persuasion.
Art guide
12 Famous Female Painters and the Paintings to Know
Meet 12 famous female painters, from Artemisia Gentileschi to Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe. Explore their signature paintings, styles and…
Art guide
10 Famous Women Artists and the Paintings That Made Them Known
Meet 10 famous women artists, from Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassatt to Berthe Morisot. Explore their lives, key paintings, and lasting impact.
Art guide
The 10 Most Famous Symbolist Paintings
Discover 10 famous Symbolist paintings, ranked by search demand, from The Scream and The Kiss to Isle of the Dead, with their meanings explained.
Painting story
Witches' Flight by Goya
Three figures fly through the dark carrying a helpless body. Below, one man refuses to look, another covers his ears, and a donkey watches. A…
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Curated collectionsOdyssey, Magic and Witchcraft, Famous Women, Landscapes and more.Artists A to ZEvery painter in the catalogue, with an archive of their works.Art movementsRenaissance to Expressionism: what defines each and who led it.Top 100 most famous paintingsThe ranked list, with the story behind every entry.
