Painting of the Week Podcast

This episode explores an iconic work which offers the viewer a vibrant yet somewhat unsettling glimpse of Parisian life - one which challenges our perceptions of how we look at art and how art looks back at us... Support the show

Among the first works to be bought by the National Gallery when it opened in 1824, this monumental work shows a reimagined biblical scene, but what deeper meanings can be uncovered within it? Support the show

This enigmatic panel may be small, but its astonishing use of perspective and the mysterious identity of the main figures have Phil and Laura getting excited in conversation with author Michael Harrison. Support the show

This episode, Phil and Laura take on the tallest church in the world. 144 years and counting in construction, this wonder of the world blends classic Gothic and fluid Art Nouveau elements into something the likes of which the world has never seen... Support the show

It is probably the most famous painting in the world but just what is behind its enduring appeal? Phil and Laura unpick the many meanings behind that mysterious smile... Support the show

Created during her traumatic divorce from Diego Rivera, this is one of the most recognisable of Kahlo's 50+ self-portraits, capturing vitality and endurance rather than despair at a time of great pain... Support the show

Phil & Laura kick off the new season with some piping hot gossip from a century ago. Why was this stunning painting at the centre of one of the 19th century art world's most infamous feuds? Support the show

In this special bonus episode, Phil talks to artist, author, broadcaster and frequent Exhibition on Screen contributor Lachlan Goudie about one of the world's most famous paintings, which features in his brilliant new book The Secrets of Painting. Published by Thames & Hudson Support the show

To finish off Season 7, we have a gorgeous watercolour by the one and only J. M. W. Turner, which depicts Exhibition on Screen's hometown of Brighton circa 1824, complete with Royal Pavilion and the Chain Pier which was destroyed by a storm in 1896. With special guest Dr Amy Concannon, Manton Senior Curator of Historic British Art at Tate Britain and contributor in our new Turner & Constable film - in cinemas 10 March 2026. Support the show

A classic image of the "four seasons in one day" that epitomises British weather, there is much more to this picturesque Constable landscape than first meets the eye... Support the show

Phil and Laura are joined by author and filmmaker Howard Burton for this episode, which examines an intriguing portrait of the 23 year old female artist's three sisters and a maid playing chess, a pastime typically reserved for men in Renaissance art to demonstrate their martial prowess... Support the show

Phil is once again with Wendy Smith - Assistant Director of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Washington - and this time they are examining a monumental ink and paper collage depicting a 'river' of migrating Alaskan caribou, exploring the rich symbolism within this stunning work. Support the show

In this episode, Phil and Laura speak with author Michael Schreiber about a deeply symbolic work by , painted Bernard Perlin, who was rejected from the US military during WW2 for being openly gay, nevertheless went on to create some of the war effort's most iconic anti-Nazi propaganda. Painted right after the end of the Second World War, this striking work shows two young Jewish boys standing in front of a graffitied New York wall containing everything from lovers’ initials to Nazi symbols. Support the show

A real treat for you in this episode, as Phil goes on a field trip to London to meet with Xavier Bray, Director of the Wallace Collection, and discuss one of Caravaggio’s most controversial works, the focus of their current exhibition, running until 12th April 2026. Support the show

For this week's episode, Phil speaks with author & art dealer Deborah Pollack about Hermann Herzog’s steamy Florida wilderness, which he depicted in over 300 paintings, earning him the unofficial status as 'the artist of Florida.' Support the show

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. Support the show

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. Support the show

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... Support the show

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... Support the show

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... Support the show