Art

The French tragedy at sea, immortalised in Géricault’s masterpiece The Raft of the Medusa, was put to use in the service of British patriotism.

Matthew Stewart discusses Peter Weir's 1981 cinematic tour de force, and what it tells us about the ANZAC myth.

Pamela Pilbeam celebrates the bicentenary of the arrival of Madame Tussaud's waxworks in Britain.

Michael Rosenthal and Martin Myrone look beyond the traditional view of Gainsborough and argue for a view of the painter beyond that of society portraitist, as a modernist responding to the broader themes of his times.

Colin Jones discusses the art and artifice of the leading mistress of Louis XV.

Michael Paris describes the film record of the North African victory, and how the footage represents a tour de force in terms of wartime documentary and national effort.

Penny Young uncovers prehistoric rock art in Luxor.

One of the most admired and reviled film makers in the history of cinema was born on August 22nd, 1902.

Craig Clunas considers what we can learn of the society of Ming China by looking at how paintings were used as gifts.

Thomas Doherty examines a series of conflicts between left-wing artists and movie moguls at the time of Sergei Eisenstein's brief sojourn in Tinseltown in the 1930s.