There’s a popular assumption that the artist Peter Paul Rubens only painted one type of woman: the voluptuous ‘Rubenesque’. A new exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery is the first to challenge that thinking. Its co-curator, Arts Society Lecturer Amy Orrock, reveals the story
Whether visiting gardens or sitting within your own, many of the beautiful plants you’ll see represent nature’s medicine box. Their properties are harnessed to create medicines as far-ranging as analgesics and antibiotics. Our expert, Timothy Walker, reveals why plants as diverse as the foxglove and rosy periwinkle can, for many, prove to be a life-saver
We associate pyramids with all things Egyptian, Mesopotamian or Mayan, but think again says David Winpenny. Follow his trail this summer and discover the cone-shaped curiosities that lie closer to home
The name ‘Silk Road’ conjures camel caravans laden with exotic goods, braving inhospitable terrain. It was the route that introduced the Western world to silk. Yet, far more than that, it disseminated inventions, ideas, food and fashion, weaponry and more. Our expert, Chris Aslan, looks at key strands from the story of silk and the routes it has travelled
Johannes Vermeer is one of the greatest artists in history – and one of the most mysterious. The sell-out exhibition in his name at the Rijksmuseum closes soon. If you missed the chance to visit, our expert, Jane E Choy-Thurlow, reveals more of his story, told through luminous artworks from the show
With eyes soon on Westminster Abbey for the May coronation of King Charles III, we’re reminded once more of the remarkable architecture and history of our key ecclesiastical sites. But what about the treasures they hold? Our expert, Janet Gough, reveals the stories behind five very special artefacts held in cathedrals across England and Wales.
Famous, then forgotten, Lucy Kemp-Welch was not just a remarkable painter of horses, but a trailblazer for female artists in a world dominated by men. As a show of her work prepares to open, our expert, David Boyd Haycock, reveals her story
Modernist artists pushed boundaries, not least with their sizzling designs for textiles, which played a key role in the story of modern art. Our expert, Ashley Gray, reveals the top things to know about those fabrics and their makers
Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, you’re in good company. Our expert, Tasha Marks, is a food historian who specialises in sugar; she also has an eye for how artists today are turning the sweet stuff into art. After discovering these delicious dioramas, she says, you’ll never look at sugar in the same way again
Snow laden branches; a frozen lake in twilight; gleeful skaters on the ice… winter paintings are one of the joys of art history. They are also one of the most challenging genres to represent – with snow being difficult to capture convincingly. Our expert, Stella Grace Lyons, examines how artists have captured our frostiest season