Captivated by Breton peasants in their striking costumes on a summer trip to the countryside in 1888, the wonderful American artist Cecilia Beaux was honing her skills with this intriguing portrait. The influence of the French impressionists would never leave her even when she returned to Philadelphia where, one day, she would become the first female art teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. 

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This week’s focus in an artist who has been called ‘the British Caravaggio’. This eerie candlelit scene shows a scientific experiment in the ‘Age of Reason’, capturing the drama of the event, the limits of human knowledge and the fragility of life itself. Phil talks about this and more with Christine Riding, Curator and Director of Collections and Research at the National Gallery, London. 

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It’s a new year and a new season of Painting of the Week! We’re starting off with one of the 20th century’s best-known artworks, beloved for its technical skill and its touching depiction of dignity in old age, and fascinating thanks to the artist himself...

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Laura and Phil get into the Christmas spirit by seeking out festive artworks and having a giggle along the way. What artworks does your Christmas lunch make you think of? You may be surprised at Laura and Phil’s choices... 

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Finishing season 6 off on a high, we have special guest David Bickerstaff - co-director of Exhibition on Screen’s ‘Caravaggio’ - exploring the true nature of the artist behind the ‘Bad Boy of Baroque’ persona... 

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Painted before his 25th birthday, this monumental 2m x 3m work was supposed to be Seurat’s big break but was rejected by the 1884 Salon... 

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This week, Phil and Laura talk about a Tate Britain work that pulls you in with its striking depiction of the rolling hills of Cumbria, uncovering the hidden story of the Bloomsbury Group icon who created it... 

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This visceral photograph of a butcher at work, chosen by special guest World Food Photography Awards founder Caroline Kenyon, brings up issues surrounding the importance of food in preserving cultural heritage... 

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In this episode, Phil and Laura talk to Christopher Gorham, author of the fascinating new book ‘Matisse and Art Under the Nazis’, and explore how Matisse and other artists of the time navigated the occupation, avoiding arrest whilst using art to express disgust for the horrors unfurling around them... 

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Two icons of French culture come together in this week’s artwork – Toulouse-Lautrec and the bicycle! Known for his ability to capture the bohemian lifestyle of late 19th-century Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec's dynamic poster design showcases famous French cyclists Constant Huret and Lisette Marton battling it out at the Vélodrome de la Seine...  

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