Why do artists paint young women looking into mirrors? | Stories (2024)

Why did Queen Charlotte not like this portrait of herself?

Dear gentle reader, we note that Queen Charlotte despised this portrait of herself. As Bridgerton returns to our screens with season three, pray watch curator Jon King as he recounts the story behind this portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Is there engineering in art?

Rob Bell from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers asks the question is there engineering in art? There may be art in engineering but is there engineering in art? Rob looks for the answer in Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed' and 'Dutch Boats in a Gale'

Why is this picture painted in black and white?

Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper asks what are we really looking at here? What clues lie in this black and white picture? Could this painting be pretending to be something else?

Is Constable's 'Cornfield' a real or imagined landscape?

Dr Mary McMahon, our Bernays Curatorial Fellow of British Paintings, asks whether Constable's 'The Cornfield' is too good to be true. Does this lane and stream exist or is this rural idyll exactly that?

How do you tell the difference between a heroine and a femme fatale?

And why could the woman in this painting be either Judith or Salome?

Dr Maria Alambritis puts the case for both potential subjects of this painting

Bermejo's 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil'

Picture of the month November 2023

Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston tells us why Bermejo's late Gothic-demon was the stuff of nightmares in its day

Why does this painting make some people cry?

and what does this tell us about transcendence?

Revd Dr Ayla Lepine, curator of the virtual exhibition 'Fruits of the Spirit: Art from the Heart' and former Ahmanson Research Associate Curator in Art and Religion at the National Gallery, explores the theme of peace through Monet's 'Water-Lilies'

Why do artists sign their works of art?

and what can this tell us about the artist and their paintings?

Sarah Herring, Associate Curator of Post-1800 Paintings, looks at Klimt’s signature and what it reveals about the influences on his art and the trends of the time

Why is this little angel covered in bees?

and what does this tell us about myths and their meanings?

Watch as Charlotte Wytema, our Simon Sainsbury Curatorial Fellow, reveals the lesson that underlies this intriguing painting.

Why is there someone drawing graffiti inside the church?

and what does this tell us about how artists use their imagination when painting everyday life?

Join Justine Rinnooy Kan, our Dorset Curatorial Fellow, as she looks at some behaviour we wouldn't expect to see inside a church.

Why does this man appear twice in the same painting?

and what does this tell us about miracles?

Dr Ayla Lepine, The Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion, explains something we may not have even noticed in this picture - a man who appears twice.

Why does this lady have a fly on her head?

and what can this tell us about the tricks artists play?

Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper, The Myojin-Nadar Associate Curator of Paintings 1600–1800, investigates the unusual addition to 'Portrait of a Women from the Hofer Family'.

10-minute talks

Tiepolo's 'Allegory with Venus and Time'

Letizia Treves, James and Sarah Sassoon Curator of Later 17th-Century Paintings looks up at Tiepolo's colourful ceiling painting

10-minute talks

Murillo's 'Self Portrait'

CEEH Curatorial Fellow in Spanish Paintings Daniel Sobrino Ralston goes behind the frame

10-minute talks

Botticelli's 'Portrait of a Young Man'

Laura Llewellyn, Associate Curator of Renaissance Paintings, asks the question, is this anonymous person someone Botticelli knew or perhaps only imagined?

10-minute talks

Jan van Eyck's 'Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)

Join Emma Capron as she wonders whether we can take this portrait at face value

10-minute talks

Anthony van Dyck's 'Equestrian Portrait of Charles I'

The muscular horse, the shiny armour, what's this portrait really saying and why?

10-minute talks

Luca Giordano's 'Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone'

Letizia Treves explains why some characters in this huge painting look decidedly off colour

10-minute talks

Luca Signorelli's 'The Circumcision'

Joost Joustra tells us about Signorelli's striking and unusual altarpiece

10-minute talks

Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'

Lucy Chiswell gets her gardening gloves on for some time with van Huysum's flowers.

10-minute talks

Hieronymus Bosch's 'Christ Mocked'

Emma Capron looks at something a little different by Hieronymus Bosch: an episode from the Easter story, arranged in a striking new way.

10-minute talks

Rembrandt's 'A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?)'

Could this be Rembrandt's lover and why did Rembrandt choose this setting? Bart Cornelis, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Paintings, offers some answers

10-minute talks

Cosimo Tura: A Muse (Calliope?)

Imogen Tedbury decodes Tura's mythical goddess

10-minute talks

Gossaert's 'The Adoration of the Kings'

Susan Foister looks at Gossaert's vibrant masterpiece

A curated look

Drinking

Christopher Riopelle takes a look at paintings of drinking and conviviality in the last of our curators talks from home

A curated look

Close up

Letizia Treves takes a closer look at some of our smaller paintings on copper

A curated look

Kindness

Christine Riding shares images of compassion and generosity towards family, friends, neighbours and complete strangers

A curated look

Beaches

Sarah Herring takes us to the seaside with paintings of the coast

A curated look

Angels

Joost Joustra decodes paintings of angels

A curated look

Working from home

Francesca Whitlum-Cooper peeks into paintings of people at home

A curated look

Remembering

Priyesh Mistry reflects on paintings that pay tribute to and commemorate loved ones

A curated look

A day in the countryside

Lucy Chiswell brings the outside in, with a look at paintings of the outdoors