Greatest Paintings: The French Revolution - Millet's Angelus
Why was Jean-François Millet’s The Angelus considered highly controversial and politically divisive in pre-industrial 19th-century France? What do we know about his personal background, his ambiguous ...
25 Feb 6min
646. The Fall of the Incas: Death to the Emperor (Part 3)
What happened to the emperor of the Incas after he was taken prisoner by the Spanish conquistadors? Did the formidable buccaneer, Francisco Pizarro, and his men succeed in discovering the treasure tro...
23 Feb 1h 5min
The Book Club: Wuthering Heights
Why does Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights, have such an enduring romantic association? Is Heathcliff a romantic lead, or an abusive antihero? Are the characters aspirational in any way, or irre...
20 Feb 20min
645. The Fall of the Incas: Massacre in the Andes (Part 2)
What happened when the Spanish conquistadors lead by Francisco Pizarro came face to face with the ruthless emperor of the Incan Empire, Atahualpa? How did the Incas treat their strange, pale, alien vi...
19 Feb 1h 9min
Greatest Paintings: Age of Enlightenment - Raeburn's Skating Minister
How does Henry Raeburn’s Skating Minister represent both the Scottish Enlightenment and the Romantic movement? In what ways does subject Reverend Robert Walker’s personal history connect to the famous...
18 Feb 6min
644. The Fall of the Incas: Empire of Gold (Part 1)
Why was the Spanish conquest of the Incas one of the most pivotal moments in world history? Who was Francisco Pizarro, the buccaneer behind this bloody event? And, what was the glittering Incan Empire...
16 Feb 1h 16min
643. Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage Destroyed (Part 4)
Three decades after the defeat of Hannibal, how had the Roman Empire managed to conquer vast swathes of the known world? Why did the predatory eyes of this terrifying behemoth turn once more to Cartha...
12 Feb 1h
Greatest Paintings: The Ghost of Spain – Velázquez’s Las Meninas
Why does Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas represent the fading Spanish Golden Age? How did he challenge the boundaries between viewer and artwork? And, in what ways does his defining style foreshadow Impr...
11 Feb 6min
