Film Director Phil Grabsky and art-lover Laura Bentham meet each week to talk about paintings that inspire or excite them. Listen to their ‘Painting of the Week’ and explore some of the world’s most amazing art. For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcast
Bonus Episode: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
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
Season 7 ep. 10: J. M. W. Turner, Brighthelmston, Sussex
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
Season 7 ep. 9: John Constable, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows
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
Season 5 ep. 8: The Chess Game, Sofonisba Anguissola
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
Season 5 ep. 7: Emily McIlroy, River of Passing
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
Season 7 ep. 6: Bernard Perlin, Orthodox Boys!
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
Season 7 Ep 5: Caravaggio, Victorious Cupid
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
Season 7 Ep 4: Hermann Herzog, Sunset in the Florida Hammocks
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
Season 7 ep. 3: Cecilia Beaux, Twilight Confidences
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
Season 7, ep 2: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, Joseph Wright of Derby
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
Season 7 ep. 1: Whistler, Whistler’s Mother
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
Christmas Special 2025
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
Season 6 Ep 10: Caravaggio, Conversion of Saint Paul
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
Season 6 Ep 9: Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières
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... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 8: Dora Carrington, Farmhouse at Waternlath
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... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 7: Zdeněk Dvořák, Czech Tradition
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... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 6: Henri Matisse, Woman Reading at a Yellow Table
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... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 5: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, La Chaîne Simpson
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... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 4: Artemesia Gentileschi, Self Portrait as Saint Catherine
This episode examines Artemesia’s powerful self-portrait and the heartbreaking, inspirational story of survival behind it - with special guest Asia Graziano, author of ‘Artemesia Gentileschi’ for leading art publisher Scripta Maneant... Support the show
Season 6 Ep 3: Keith Pettit, Cabriole
This week’s episode features a fascinating sculpture carved from ‘Bog Oak’, preserved for nearly 6,000 years in a Sussex peat bog being transformed into a ballet dancer mid-leap... Support the show
