Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640) Samson and Delilah c.1609–1610 Oil on wood, 185 × 205 cm National Gallery, London Peter Paul Rubens’s Samson and Delilah portrays a tragedy of love and betrayal. According to the Old Testament, Samson, a Jewish hero blessed…
Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre (1824-1898) L’été (Summer) before 1873 Oil on canvas, 43.2 × 62.2 cm National Gallery, London The theme of Puvis de Chavannes’s painting is an old one. Images of summer and harvesting can be found in medieval illuminated manuscripts,…
Poussin, Nicolas (1594-1665) Le Triomphe de Silène (The Triumph of Silenus) c.1636 Oil on canvas, 142.9 × 120.5 cm National Gallery, London This playful scene celebrates Silenus, companion to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and drunkenness. Silenus, a naked old…
Hals, Frans (c.1582-1666) Young Man holding a Skull (Vanitas) 1626–1628 Oil on canvas, 92.2 × 80.8 cm National Gallery, London A life-size figure stands before us, holding a skull in one hand and gesticulating with the other. Shown close up, the…
El Greco (1541-1614) Cristo expulsando a los mercaderes del templo (Christ driving the Traders from the Temple) c.1600 Oil on canvas, 106.3 × 129.7 cm National Gallery, London El Greco has used theatrical gestures and intense colours to express the chaos and…
Duccio di Buoninsegna (c.1255-c.1319) Guarigione del cieco nato (The Healing of the Man born Blind) c.1307–1311 Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 × 46.7 cm National Gallery, London This painting comes from the back of the predella of the large, double-sided altarpiece made…
Delacroix, Eugène (1798-1863) Ovide chez les Scythes (Ovid among the Scythians) 1859 Oil on canvas, 87.6 × 130.2 cm National Gallery, London In AD 8 the Roman poet Ovid, author of The Art Of Love and the epic poem Metamorphoses, was banished…
Corot, Jean-Baptiste-Camille (1796-1875) Le chêne de la vallée (The Oak in the Valley) 1871 Oil on canvas, 39.8 × 52.8 cm National Gallery, London This view was one of several pictures that Corot painted in May 1871 while he was staying…
Carriera, Rosalba (1675-1757) Ritratto di un uomo (Portrait of a Man) 1720s Pastel on paper, 57.8 × 47 cm National Gallery, London An unknown man looks out from this portrait with a self-assured stare. His rosy lips, soft eyes and pale, youthful…
Bonheur, Rosa (1822-1899) La foire aux chevaux (The Horse Fair) 1855 Oil on canvas, 120 × 254.6 cm National Gallery, London This is a painting of sheer animal power. Brilliant white light builds up the turbulence and excitement of the scene.…