The Private Life of a Masterpiece

Édouard Manet: Le déjeuner sur l'herbe

Painted in 1863 by Edouard Manet , this radical work broke every rule in the book as it irrevocably changed the way nude

Diego Velázquez: The Rokeby Venus

One of the most widely reproduced images in the world is examined in the second of two films on famous works of art. The

Auguste Rodin: The Kiss

Auguste Rodin 's Kiss has had a more colourful life than most sculptures. At the time of its conception 100 years ago th

Francisco Goya: The Third of May 1808

Goya's greatest painting is a nightmarish image of anonymous men being shot at point blank range by a robot-like firing

Auguste Renoir: Dance at the Moulin de la Galette

Was the Moulin de la Galette dance hall really the joyful haven depicted in Renoir's celebratory painting of 1876? Certa

Rembrandt van Rijn: The Night Watch

The secrets behind the celebrated Rembrandt painting of a group of part-time soldiers are revealed. How did the artist a

Sandro Botticelli: La Primavera

The title of the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli 's exquisite painting translates as "Spring", yet this huge allegor

Katsushika Hokusai: The Great Wave

Edgar Degas: Little Dancer Aged Fourteen

Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers

Pablo Picasso: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

James McNeill Whistler: Whistler's Mother

Katsushika Hokusai: The Great Wave

Arguably the most recognisable image in Far Eastern art, this Japanese magnum opus is an accurate portrayal of the waves

Edgar Degas: The Little Dancer

Edgar Degas 's bronze sculpture of a ballet dancer wearing a real tutu has become one of the most widely appreciated Eur

Vincent Van Gogh: The Sunflowers

Viewed as one of the most famous works of art in the world, few people know the history behind Vincent Van Gogh 's paint

Pablo Picasso: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

"My Brothel" is the title Pablo Picasso gave to his depiction of five prostitutes - a painting that shocked even his fri

James McNeill Whistler: Portrait of the Painter's Mother

Whistler's portrait of his elderly Puritan mother is one of the most satirised paintings of all time. Yet when his sombr

Eugene Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People

The series that reveals stories behind famous artworks returns, beginning with an examination of Eugene Delacroix 's res

Johannes Vermeer: The Art of Painting

The series that reveals the stories behind famous artworks continues with an examination of the favourite picture of the

Paolo Uccello: The Battle of San Romano

An armoured knight in the thick of battle astride his white charger forms the central figure of a dramatic 15th-century

Georges Seurat: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

"Bedlam", "scandal", and "hilarity" were some of the words used to describe Georges Seurat's portrayal of Parisians enjo

Gustav Klimt: The Kiss

This erotically charged and hugely popular example of Art Nouveau fused with Symbolism has been the subject of intense s

Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper

The stories behind three paintings that encompass traditional Easter themes. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Dan

Salvador Dalí: Christ of Saint John of the Cross

This extraordinary crucifixion scene - inspired by a weird mix of Spanish mysticism and nuclear physics - is often calle

Piero della Francesca: The Resurrection

A masterpiece of composition, Francesca's widely admired painting depicts the risen Christ - wearing the expression of "

Jan van Eyck: The Annunciation

The first moment in the Christmas story is the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel to tell Mary that she has been chosen to

Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Census at Bethlehem

A closer look at the image that inspired a thousand Christmas cards: Brueghel's Census at Bethlehem. It depicts Mary and

Paul Gauguin: God's Child

The series concludes with a look at Paul Gauguin 's interpretation of the Nativity scene, a distinctively modern piece i

Caravaggio: The Taking of Christ

When Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio completed his portrayal of Christ's betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane in 1602,

Sandro Botticelli: The Mystic Nativity

It's a painting that lovers of mystery fiction should love. Botticelli's Mystic Nativity is a Renaissance masterpiece cr

Rogier van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross

The Descent from The Cross by Rogier Van der Weyden is a rich feast for art lovers, but what is the secret history of th

Filippo Lippi: The Adoration of the Christ Child

Examining Filippo Lippi's Adoration of the Christ Child. Its beauty inspired Michelangelo and Botticelli, but it also co