Painting of the Week Podcast
Film director Phil Grabsky and art enthusiast Laura Bentham meet weekly to discuss paintings that inspire or excite them. Each episode explores a 'Painting of the Week,' delving into the stories behind some of the world's most amazing art. Listeners can see the artwork being discussed by visiting the show's website.
Episodes
Piero Della Francesca, The Flagellation Of Christ - with author Michael Harrison
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
Antoni Gaudí, La Sagrada Família
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
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa / La Gioconda
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
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Necklace of Thorns and Hummingbird
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
James McNeill Whistler, Nocturne In Black & Gold (The Falling Rocket)
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
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 & HudsonSupport the show
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 & Consta
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
Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game - with author & filmmaker Howard Burton
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
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
Bernard Perlin, Orthodox Boys! - with author Michael Schreiber
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
Caravaggio, Victorious Cupid - with Xavier Bray, Director of the Wallace Collection
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
Hermann Herzog, Sunset in the Florida Hammocks - with author Deborah Pollack
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
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
Joseph Wright of Derby, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump
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
James McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (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
Season 6 Ep. 2: J M W Turner, The Lake, Petworth: Sunset, Fighting Bucks at Petworth
J. M. W. Turner, The Lake, Petworth: Sunset, Fighting Bucksat Petworth Recorded on site at Petworth House, West Sussex with curator Dr. Emily Knight, this episode looks at the Turner work which lives in the fabulous ‘Carved Room’ depicting Petworth’s stunning grounds. Join Phil and Laura as they explore the house, the art and Turner’s link to the area... Support the show
Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper
Kicking off Season 6 with a bang is one of the most famous works of art in history – Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’. In this episode, Phil & Laura delve into the fascinating layers of meaning and mastery in this iconic work.Support the show
Season 5, Ep.11: Tibetan Wheel of Life Thangka
For the final episode of Season 5, Phil teams up with his brother Marc to examine his beautiful Christmas present, a stunning depiction of the Buddhist Wheel of Life which Marc brought back from his travels in Nepal... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.10: Wood, Earth, Hoop by Walter Bailey
In this week's episode, Phil & Laura talk to Mark Collins, art collector and owner of Artelium Wine Estate in Sussex to discuss a unique sculpture currently residing on their estate...Support the show
Season 5, Ep.9: Orange, Red, Yellow by Mark Rothko
A badly needed splash of colour this week as Phil & Laura take a deep dive into a Rothko work which sold in 2012 for the staggering sum of $87 million. Just what lies behind those famous, vibrant rectangles... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.8: Genesis #9/18 by Alan Magee
This week, Phil speaks to us from Friday Harbour, San Juan Island, USA with Assistant Curator of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art Wendy Smith about a very unique artwork, finished by a loom in Belgium thousands of miles from the artist who painted it... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.6: Deep Forest by Emily Carr
This week, Phil meets with senior curator Richard Hill from the Vancouver Art Gallery to discuss a moody and mysterious work by the matriarch of Canadian art... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.7: The Haywain Tryptich by Hieronymus Bosch
This week, Laura and Phil discuss the eternally bizarre and delightful Bosch, focusing on one of his fabulous triptychs, with this one telling the story of the Fall... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.5: Starry Night over the Rhône by Van Gogh with Martin Bailey
The new year kicks off with Phil revisiting Van Gogh’s romantic masterpiece – and the poster image for our smash hit documentary Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers – this time with world Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey at the National Gallery...Support the show
Season 5, Ep.4: Christmas Special - The Monopoly Board, Lizzie Magie
In this cosy Christmas special, Laura and Phil sit down with three times British Monopoly champion (and Phil’s brother) Mike and his long-suffering son Alex to discuss the remarkable artwork of the monopoly board over a mince pie or two...Support the show
Season 5, Ep.3: Le Pont-Neuf by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Phil speaks with curator Mary Morton at one of his favourite galleries - the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC - about a poignant view of Paris a year on from one of the worst years in Parisian history...Support the show
Season 5, Ep.2: Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí
In this episode, Phil & Laura look at Dali’s unique take on the crucifixion, supposedly inspired by what Dali called his “cosmic dream” of the universe... Support the show
Season 5, Ep.1: Olive Grove, Saint-Rémy (1889) by Vincent van Gogh
Season 5 begins in the warm and inviting olive groves around Saint Remy which Van Gogh painted repeatedly, fascinated as he was by the irregular growth and ever-changing colours... Support the show
Season 4, Ep.10: Starry Night Over the Rhône by Vincent Van Gogh
This week, Phil and Laura look at Vincent’s other ‘Starry Night’, painted just down the road from his famous yellow house in Arles, and explore the themes of love, madness and beauty that have followed this beloved and troubled artist over the centuries... Support the show
Season 4, Ep.9: Augustus of Prima Porta Statue - Vatican Museums
Talk about good PR! This masterpiece by an unknown Greek artist depicts the first official emperor of Rome, Augustus, demonstrating his firm grasp of the importance of a carefully crafted public image in 20AD...Support the show
Season 4, Ep.8: Colliers Unloading on Hove Beach by John Constable
This week, Phil’s takes leading BBC radio presenter Danny Pike for a trip to the Brighton Pavilion to examine local legend John Constable’s stunning work depicting the seafront a stone’s throw from our office… Support the show
Season 4, Ep.7: Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez
This week, Phil and Laura discuss what has been repeatedly named one of the greatest paintings in history, the monumental ‘Las Meninas’ or ‘The Maids’ by the legendary Diego Velázquez...Support the show
Season 4, Ep.6: Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando by Edgar Degas
This week, co-directors of My National Gallery, London Ali Ray and Phil Grabsky discuss Ali’s favourite work in this world-renowned gallery, and just why it stuck out to her amongst this enormous collection of masterpieces... Support the show
Season 4, Ep.5: Rain, Steam, and Speed by JMW Turner
In this episode, Phil and Laura discuss the wonderfully dynamic Turner work which Michael Palin called his “science fiction painting” in My National Gallery, London... Support the show
Season 4, Ep.4: The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci
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Season 4, Ep.3: The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger
This week's topic of discussion is Holbein’s masterpiece from one of the most important years in British history – 1533. This was the year that Henry VIII broke from the Catholic church, married Anne Boleyn and had a daughter who would become one of England’s most popular monarchs, Elizabeth I... Support the show
Season 4, Ep.2: The AIDS Memorial Quilt with Yvonne Gilleece
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Season 4, Ep.1: Madame X by John Singer Sargent
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Christmas Special: Painting of the Year
In this special Christmas episode, Phil and Laura pick their top 3 favourite paintings from a year full of masterpieces to discuss over Laura's homemade Christmas punch...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.20, Gustav Klimt - Hermine Gallia
On this episode of Painting of the Week, Phil & Laura discuss a Klimt work which sits right on the cusp of his drastic artistic transformation...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.19: Ditchling War Memorial by Eric Gill
Phil, Laura and special guest Janet Laurence explore a local work by a controversial artist Eric Gill, a terrible man with a wonderful talent, and debate whether you can separate the art from the artist...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.18 Mohri Yuko - Moré Moré
This episode explores a wildly different art style on the cutting edge of the Japanese avant-garde movement, as featured in our latest film’ Tokyo Stories’...www.seventh-art.comSupport the show
Season 3, Ep 17: Georges de La Tour - Penitent Magdalen
This moody, gothic painting was a clean break from the bombastic nature of the baroque style which dominated in the seventeenth century and brings the viewer into a quiet moment of intense contemplation with Mary Magdalene herself…Support the show
Season 3, Ep 16: Wilfredo Lam - La Silla (The Chair)
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Season 3, ep.15: Charles Webster Hawthorne - The Boat Steerer
This episode, recorded at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum with CEO Chris McCarthy, examines an evocative painting by one of the founders of the Cape Cod art colony, the oldest continuous art colony in the USA…Support the show
Season 3 Ep.14: John Singer Sargent - El Jaleo
This episode explores a dynamic masterpiece by the greatest portraitist of his time, John Singer Sargent, and his immersion into the "Hispanism" which gripped Europe at the end of the nineteenth century...Support the show
Season 3, Ep 13: Egon Schiele - Seated Woman with Bent Knees
This week's Painting of the Week explores a work which subverts the traditional beauty standard, bringing a sense of grittiness and discomfort into this erotically charged portrait of the artists' beautiful wife...Support the show
Season 2, Ep. 12: Goya, The Duchess of Alba
This week, Phil and Laura discuss Goya's portrait of a formidable young noble woman, recently widowed. Is there more to this portrait than meets the eye?Support the show
Season 3, Ep.11: Albrecht Dürer, Great Piece of Turf
This week Phil and Laura explore Albrecht Dürer's 'Great Piece of Turf' and what made this very pretty patch of lawn so ground-breaking in the 16th century...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.10: Vermeer - Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window
In this very special episode Phil speaks to 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' author Tracy Chevalier from the Rijksmuseum's once-in-a-lifetime Vermeer exhibition. Phil and Tracy stand before a masterpiece and discuss it's surprising history...Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 9: Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew
Join Phil and Laura this week as they discuss Caravaggio's 'The Calling of Saint Matthew', a masterpiece that brings this pivotal biblical moment into the world of the 16th century...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.8: Pieter de Hooch - Courtyard of a House in Delft
In this episode, Phil and Laura explore this masterpiece from the Dutch Golden Age, uncovering the magic contained within this very normal visions of everyday life...Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 7: Horace Pippin - Christmas Morning, Breakfast
In today's festive episode, Phil and Laura focus on Horace Pippin's 'Christmas Morning, Breakfast' and the fascinating story of one of America's foremost black artists...Support the show
Season 3, Ep.6: Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride
For this episode, Phil and Laura discuss a mysterious masterpiece by Rembrandt...Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 5: Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party
This week Phil and Laura discuss one of their favourite paintings - Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party - and why its creator was such a controversial figure...Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 4: William Meyerowitz, Gloucester Humoresque
For this episode, Phil traveled to the wonderful Cape Ann Museum in New England while making 'Hopper: An American Love Story' and discussed William Meyerowitz's 'Gloucester Humoresque' with chief curator Martha Oakes.Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 3: Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
This week, we explore a painting that has become the archetypal image of the Romantic era and the Sublime…Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 2: Rene Margritte, The Promenades of Euclid
This week, Phil and Laura discuss a surrealist painting that plays with the idea of reality and perception...Support the show
Season 3, Ep. 1: Dame Laura Knight, Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech Ring
Season 3 begins with Phil and Laura discussing an important wartime work which reveals much about the previously untapped skills of British women...Support the show
Season 2, Ep. 20: Daybreak - Maxfield Parrish
To celebrate the clocks going forward here in the U.K. and the return to 'British Summer time', this Painting of the Week is Maxfield Parrish's Daybreak - the most popular print of the twentieth century!For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 19: Kiss of Judas - Giotto
This week, Phil and Laura discuss one of Phil's favourite paintings to feature in the Exhibition on Screen film ‘Easter in Art’: Giotto’s Kiss of Judas. For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 18: Railroad Gates - Jo Hopper, Edward Hopper
This week, Phil and Hopper House curator Elizabeth Thompson Colleary discuss not one but two paintings, both entitled ‘Railroad Gates’ - one by Edward Hopper and one by his wife Jo - and uncover a fascinating story in the process… For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 17: The Madonna del Parto - Piero della Francesca
Painted in just seven working days, this extraordinary fresco only narrowly escaped total destruction in 1785… For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 16: The Night Watch - Rembrandt
This enormous masterpiece is one of Rembrandt’s finest works, and one of the most famous of the Dutch Golden Age. Brimming with life, it has a fascinating history which includes being wrongfully identified as a night scene during the 19th century and multiple attempts at vandalism! For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 15: The Two Fridas (1939) - Frida Kahlo
On this date made entirely of twos - 22/2/22 - we are celebrating 2 weeks until the release of our film exploring the life and art of international icon Frida Kahlo and so, rather fittingly, this episode of Painting of the Week focuses on The Two Fridas, with special guest Ali Ray, the director of the upcoming film. For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seven
Season 2, Ep. 14: The Room with a View - Duncan Grant
In this episode, Phil & Laura journey to Charleston House in rural Sussex to explore an excellent Duncan Grant exhibition, selecting his fascinating ‘The Room with a View” to discuss, and, more broadly, the Bloomsbury Group and its remarkable cast of characters.For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 13: Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele (1434–1436) - Jan van Eyck
This 1436 tomb decoration brings Jesus and the Virgin Mary into the contemporary world, and right in front of the man who commissioned the painting…For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 12: Filtres a Cafe (91-S) - Kaixuan Feng
In honour of Chinese New Year today, our #PaintingOfTheWeek is by Chinese artist Kaixuan Feng, who has trained in both traditional Chinese painting and contemporary art, bringing the two together in her unique series of beautifully decorated coffee filters…For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 11: The Skating Minister (The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch) - Henry Raeburn
For this special Burns' Night edition of Painting of the Week, Phil & Laura are looking at an iconic and decidedly unusual Scottish painting by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756 - 1823) - his charming depiction of the Rev. Robert Walker gliding across Duddingston Loch on his skates… For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
Season 2, Ep. 10: The Deposition from the Cross (altarpiece) - Jacopo Pontormo
Sitting between High Renaissance and Baroque styles, this 16th century altarpiece from the Capponi Chapel in Florence brings together two of the most luxurious art periods in history…For more information and to see the artwork being discussed please visit www.seventh-art.com/podcastSupport the show
